Britain's King Charles III arrived in Kenya today, on his first visit to a Commonwealth country since his ascension to the British throne. The four-day official visit by the British monarch and his wife, Camilla, raises high expectations as Britain comes under pressure to acknowledge the dark pages of its colonial past.
In a few weeks, Kenya will celebrate the 60th anniversary of its independence from the United Kingdom, and the visit of the British royal couple confirms the "strong and dynamic partnership" between the two countries, according to a statement from the British embassy in the African country.
But Buckingham Palace points out that the visit will also discuss "the most painful aspects of the shared history of the UK and Kenya", in the years leading up to independence.
From 1952 to 1960, more than 10.000 people were killed in the bloody suppression of the Mau Mau rebellion. After years of controversy, London agreed in 2013 to compensate some 5.000 Kenyans, but there are not a few who expect the British monarch to publicly apologise. The non-governmental organization Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) has urged King Charles III to apologize, on behalf of the British government, for the "brutal and inhumane treatment" of citizens throughout the colonial period (1895-1963 ).
Kenya holds a special place in the history of the British royal family. In this East African country, Charles' mother was informed of the death of her father, King George VI, who had succeeded to the throne in 1952.
Source: RES-EAP