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During a reception at Buckingham Palace, King Charles III and Queen Camilla met members of the UK’s Kenyan diaspora. The royal couple will visit Kenya from October 31 to November 3, marking Charles’ first journey to a Commonwealth country since becoming king last year, and his fourth formal visit to the East African country.
Kenyan President William Ruto invited the royal couple to pay a visit as the African country prepares to celebrate 60 years of independence from Britain in December.
“The King and Queen will undertake a State Visit to Kenya, from Tuesday 31st October to Friday 3rd November 2023, to celebrate the warm relationship between the two countries and the strong and dynamic partnership they continue to forge,” said the palace.
It will be Charles III’s first visit to a Commonwealth nation since becoming monarch last September.
The program will highlight how the two countries collaborate on a variety of topics, according to the statement.
The goal is “to boost prosperity, tackle climate change, promote youth opportunity and employment, advance sustainable development and create a more stable and secure region” , according to the report.
The king will meet Kenyan government officials, UN staff, church leaders, young people, and Kenyan Marines training with the UK Royal Marines, as well as attend an event honoring Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai.
Lingering tensions
Charles will also examine at “the more painful aspects” of the relationship, specifically the period of British colonial authority that ended in 1963.
This will entail looking into the “Emergency” of 1952-1960, when a state of emergency was proclaimed in response to a guerrilla campaign against European settlers by members of Kenya’s Kikuyu tribe, known as 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,” said the palace.
Approximately 10,000 people were slain during the repression of the revolt, so the royal visit is expected to be met with mixed feelings.
Following a lengthy court battle, Britain agreed in 2013 to compensate over 5,000 Kenyans who had endured maltreatment during the insurrection in a contract for about 20 million pounds (approximately $25 million at today’s currency rates).
Another source of unease is the presence of British troops in Kenya.
The Kenyan parliament initiated an investigation into the operations of the British army, which has a base on the outskirts of Nanyuki, around 200 kilometers (120 miles) north of Nairobi, in August.
The most well-known example is that of a young Kenyan mother who was reportedly slain by a British soldier in 2012.
Charles has already made three official visits to Kenya, in 1971, 1978, and 1987, and both the monarch and queen have visited informally.
Kenya holds special significance for the royal family because it is the country where Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, began her historic reign. When her father, King George VI, died in 1952, she was on a visit to the kingdom.
Kenya was the first stop of Elizabeth’s Commonwealth tour, which she had undertaken with her husband, Prince Philip, in lieu of her ailing father.
And in 2010, Charles’ elder son Prince William proposed to his long-term girlfriend Kate Middleton while staying in Kenya.
