No apology as King Charles faces Kenyan protests

Demands for King Charles to make an apology for colonial abuses have intensified in Kenya, where he started his first tour to a Commonwealth nation as monarch on Monday.

Former freedom fighters wearing traditional clothing hold banners and chant slogans during a demonstartion in Nairobi against the visit of King Charles. Picture: AFP

Demands for King Charles to make an apology for colonial abuses have intensified in Kenya, where he started his first tour to a Commonwealth nation as monarch on Monday.

Charles is expected to use a four-day visit with Queen Camilla to tackle “the more painful ­aspects” of British rule and even acknowledge the torture of Mau Mau rebels in the 1950s, but will stop short of making an apology.

The choice of Kenya for the trip has special resonance for the royal family but is not without risk.

The country has changed a great deal since Queen Elizabeth’s last visit in 1983. Calls for an apology and reparations have dominated public debate in the lead-up to the tour as the country prepares to mark 60 years of independence from Britain in December.

Cautioning Charles against making “self-preserving and protective statements of regrets”, the Kenya Human Rights Commission said only “an unconditional, unequivocal public apology” with compensation would suffice.

Joel Kimutai Bosek, a lawyer representing 100,000 Kenyans who claim they were forced off their ancestral land by the British in Kericho – one of the world’s leading tea-producing regions – said a lack of any apology by the King would be “like him coming with a packet of salt to rub on wounds”.

Following a years-long court battle, Britain agreed in 2013 to compensate more than 5000 Kenyans who had suffered abuse during the Mau Mau revolt against European settlers. About 10,000 people died in the crackdown. Each claimant received about £2600 after legal costs.

The palace and the Kenyan government are keen to avoid the angry scenes that overshadowed a Caribbean tour last year by Prince William, now the Prince of Wales.

Another lingering source of tension is the presence of British troops in Kenya who have been linked to murder, maiming and the reckless destruction of wildlife areas.

A press conference planned by survivors of abuse by British troops to coincide with the royal visit was broken up by police on Monday, the group’s lawyer said, in violation of their rights.  Charles and Camilla will be ­officially welcomed by President William Ruto who was elected last year and is keen to establish his international standing.

During two days in Nairobi, Charles will meet entrepreneurs and attend a state banquet. He will also visit a new museum and lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior in Uhuru Gardens. The tour will then shift to Mombasa, where the royals will visit a nature reserve and meet various religious representatives.

The Times