PH
monarch Charles III is in Kenya for a four-day state visit, his first as monarch to a Commonwealth country, demonstrating his commitment to an institution that has been essential to Britain’s worldwide strength and prestige since World War II.
It’s also a symbolic visit, as Charles’ mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, learnt she was the United Kingdom’s monarch while visiting an East African game preserve in 1952.
The king and queen arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport late on Monday. Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Minister Musalia Mudavadi and British High Commissioner to Kenya Neil Wigan welcomed the royal couple.
Kenyan President William Ruto will greet visitors at State House on Tuesday morning.
During his visit, Charles will recognize the “painful aspects” of his country’s shared history with Kenya, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary of independence from the United Kingdom this year. Despite the long struggle against colonial control, known as the Mau Mau Rebellion, in which thousands of Kenyans died, the two countries have maintained a close relationship since independence.
In order to put down the insurgency, colonial officials used executions and confinement without trial, while many of Kenyans said they were beaten and s**ually r*ped by administration agents.
Charles was told by the British High Commission that he will “meet veterans and give his blessing to efforts by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to ensure Kenyans and Africans who supported British efforts in the World Wars are properly commemorated.”
On major highways leading to the central business district on Tuesday morning, traffic was a little delayed. Johnson Sakaja, the governor in charge of Kenya’s capital of Nairobi, warned residents on Monday to expect “mild” traffic disruptions while the king is in town.
As part of his commitment to environmental protection, Charles plans to visit Nairobi National Park and meet with environmental activist Wanjira Mathai, the daughter of late Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai.
The British royal family has long had ties to Africa. During a speech from South Africa on her 21st birthday in 1947, the future queen committed lifetime service to Britain and the Commonwealth. Five years later, Elizabeth and her late husband, Prince Philip, were on a trip to Kenya’s Aberdare National Park when they discovered that her father had died and she had ascended to the throne.
