King Charles Condemns Colonial Violence in Kenya by UK Colonial Masters
King Charles has acknowledged the “abhorrent and unjustifiable acts of violence committed against Kenyans” during their independence struggle.
On his state visit to Kenya, the king addressed the “wrongdoings” of Britain’s colonial era.
He told a state banquet in Nairobi of his “greatest sorrow and regret” and that there was “no excuse”.
But if the king stopped short of an apology, his speech in Kenya’s state house was a significant and strongly-worded recognition of the wrongs committed under colonialism
In response, Kenya’s president William Ruto praised the king’s courage for addressing such “uncomfortable truths”.
The Kenyan head of state told the king that colonial rule had been “brutal and atrocious to African people” and that “much remains to be done in order to achieve full reparations”.
In Kenya there are memories of the suppression of the Mau uprising, in which thousands were killed and tortured in the 1950s before independence.
A decade ago the United Kingdom (UK) government voiced its “regrets that these abuses took place” and announced payments of almost £20m to more than 5,000 people, in what it called a “process of reconciliation”.
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Monarchs have to speak on the advice of ministers and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has already rejected calls for an apology on the separate issue of slavery.
The lack of an apology on this trip might have disappointed some Kenyans like David Ngasura of the Kenyan Talai clan.
He has written letters to the Royal Family seeking an apology and reparations – and in response Buckingham Palace referred his request to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
If there are concerns an apology would be interpreted as an admission of liability and lead to legal claims, the Kenyan survivors of the colonial government’s excesses argue it would help bring healing and closure.
King Charles, who delivered a strong acknowledgement of the “most painful times of our long and complex relationship”, told his audience that the friendship between Britain and Kenya could be strengthened by “addressing our history with honesty and openness”.
His comments went further than a speech in Rwanda last year where he spoke of “the depths of his personal sorrow” at the suffering caused by the slave trade.
Part of the King’s speech in Kenya was delivered in Swahili, as he toasted the connections between the countries and remembered the affection his late mother felt for the Kenyan people.
On this first day of the state visit, King Charles had a meeting with President Ruto, visited an urban farm and met young Kenyan tech entrepreneurs.
The King also visited a museum dedicated to Kenya’s history and its battle of independence.
The Royal Family, particularly on visits to Commonwealth countries, have increasingly faced questions about the legacies of colonialism and slavery, with calls for apologies and reparations.
