Kenyans demand reparations from Britain ahead of King Charles's visit
As King Charles III begins a state visit to Kenya on Tuesday, offering promises of a better partnership and acknowledgement of Britain's colonial past, demands for compensation have been mounting.
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Kenyan President William Ruto invited King Charles and Queen Camilla as Kenya prepares to celebrate 60 years of independence from Britain in December.
The state visit is intended to "celebrate the warm relationship between the two countries", according to Buckingham Palace.
The royal couple are scheduled to visit the capital, Nairobi, as well as the Indian Ocean port of Mombasa and surrounding areas.
Ahead of the State Visit to Kenya, The King has met with business leaders and special guests, convened by @PrincesTrustInt’s Africa Advisory Board.
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) October 18, 2023
The charity has supported over 15,000 young people across 6 countries, including Kenya, Ghana, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. pic.twitter.com/YXu89fOyHX
The king will meet members of the Kenyan government, UN staff, faith leaders, young people and Kenyan marines training with UK Royal Marines. He will also attend an event to celebrate environmentalist and Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai.
Yet among the Kenyan public, the mood is less celebratory.
'Painful' history
"If he is not coming to apologise for the atrocities they did to us then he should not come," 53-year-old accountant John Otieno told French news service AFP.
Many share this view, especially those who are descended from the freedom fighters who opposed imperial rule while Kenya was under British control from the late 19th century until 1963.
𝗞𝗘𝗡𝗬𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗚𝗥𝗬 𝗔𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗢𝗙 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗟𝗜𝗘’𝗦 𝗩𝗜𝗦𝗜𝗧
— African Stream (@african_stream) October 26, 2023
King Charles will touchdown in Kenya at the end of the month - his first visit to a Commonwealth nation as monarch. But he could face a wave anger from thousands of Kenyans demanding compensation from the… pic.twitter.com/3oA6Lyf6uS
Buckingham Palace has indicated that the trip will also be used to "acknowledge the more painful aspects of the UK and Kenya's shared history including the Emergency" in 1952-1960, a reference to the fierce rebellions against colonial rule, especially by the Mau Mau.
"His Majesty will take time during the visit to deepen his understanding of the wrongs suffered in this period by the people of Kenya," the palace said.
About 10,000 people were killed during Britain's brutal suppression of the Mau Mau uprising, which was one of the bloodiest insurgencies in the history of the former British Empire.
In 2013, Britain agreed to compensate more than 5,000 Kenyans who had suffered abuse during the revolt, in a deal worth nearly 20 million pounds (almost 23 million euros).
Britain also funded a memorial to all the victims in a rare example of former rulers commemorating a colonial uprising.
But for many victims, this isn't enough.
Restitution, compensation
Gitu Wa Kahengeri was jailed, tortured and denied food in a British-run labour camp in Kenya more than six decades ago for his participation in the Mau Mau rebellion.
Now in his nineties, and the head of a Mau Mau veterans' association, Gitu has ramped up his push for an apology and compensation from the British government ahead of Charles's visit.
"If I were given a place and a chance to speak to the king, the first question I would ask him is: why did you keep silent?" he told AFP.
Gitu calls on Charles to "sincerely and voluntarily" return any artefacts taken from Kenya and go beyond the public statement of regret for abuses committed.
Land grabs
Maasai and Samburu people have also voiced demands related to the loss of their ancestral lands under British rule.
"Theft of our land has disrupted our ways of life, disintegrated our cultural heritage and weakened our livelihoods and those of future generations," Daniel, a Maasai chief from Narok told RFI correspondent Gaëlle Laleix in Nairobi.
Exploitative treaties signed with British authorities in the early 20th century forced Maasai from their land and drove them into reserves, he said.
"We ask His Majesty for recognition of the historical injustices done to the Maasai," added Richard Legyagu, a member of the council of elders of Samburu, in central Kenya.
"We propose a comprehensive plan for land restitution and compensation."
(with newswires)
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