King Charles III spends Wednesday, November 1, in Nairobi, the second day of his trip to Kenya, the day after his condemnation of the colonial abuses of the British in that East African country, without the request for forgiveness demanded by certain communities.
The 73-year-old ruler’s two-day program in the capital includes meetings with entrepreneurs and young people, a visit to a new museum dedicated to Kenya’s history and an elephant orphanage. He then travels to the port city of Mombasa (south), where Charles, who cares about environmental issues, will visit a nature reserve and meet religious representatives.
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On Tuesday, he laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in a garden where Kenya’s flag was flown in place of the British Union Jack in December 1963, and attended a state dinner with President William Ruto.
“Heinous and unjustified acts of violence were committed against Kenyans as they waged a painful struggle for independence and sovereignty. And there can be no excuses for that,” said Charles III. in a speech on Tuesday evening. “None of this can change the past, but if we approach our history with honesty and openness, we may be able to demonstrate the strength of our friendship today and, in doing so, hopefully build an ever closer bond in the years to come.” he added without asking for forgiveness.
“First step towards progress”
For his part, Mr Ruto praised Charles’ “courage and will” to “bring to light inconvenient truths” and which represent “a first step towards progress that goes beyond the timid and ambiguous half-measures of recent years”.
Many Kenyan veterans and human rights organizations expected an apology from the British authorities for the atrocities committed during the colonial period (1895-1963). In 2013, they initially only expressed their “sincere regret” about the colonial violence in Kenya.
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In 2013, after years of litigation, London also agreed to compensate more than 5,000 Kenyans who were victims of abuse during the Mau Mau uprising, which killed more than 10,000 people between 1952 and 1960. After deducting the legal costs, each of them received around 2,600 pounds (3,000 euros).
The four-day state visit of Charles III. in Kenya, his first as king in a Commonwealth country, comes just weeks before the country’s 60th anniversary celebrations on December 12.