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Information reaching Kossyderrickent has it that King Charles III and Queen Camillia of the U.K seen in a Keke Napep during recent visit in Kenya.
King Charles and Queen Camillia of the U.K IN AND AUTO RICKSHAW TRICYCLE:
The family of Dedan Kimathi, who was hanged by the British administration, and relatives of other well-known Kenyan freedom fighters didn’t immediately comment — a change from their past outspoken calls for an apology and compensation from Britain, along with any information on the whereabouts of Kimathi’s body.
The British High Commission said only that the meeting was an “opportunity for the king to hear firsthand about the violence committed against Kenyans during their struggle for independence.” Attendees included the chair of the Mau Mau War Veterans Association.
Charles will be greeted by Kenyan President William Ruto when he arrives in the capital, Nairobi. The king plans to visit Nairobi National Park and meet with environmental activist Wanjira Mathai, the daughter of late Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai, as he underscores his commitment to environmental protection.
Charles will also acknowledge the “painful aspects” of his nation’s shared history with Kenya, which celebrates the 60th anniversary of its independence from the U.K. this year.
“If he is not coming to apologize for the atrocities they did to us then he should not come,” 53-year-old accountant John Otieno told AFP.
The two countries have enjoyed a close relationship since independence, despite the prolonged struggle against colonial rule, sometimes known as the Mau Mau Rebellion, in which thousands of Kenyans died.
“His majesty will take time during the visit to deepen his understanding of the wrongs suffered in this period by the people of Kenya,” Chris Fitzgerald, deputy private secretary to the king, said during a briefing on the state visit.
The rebellion began in the early 1950s, when groups of armed Kenyans attacked British officials and white farmers who occupied fertile lands. The Kenya Human Rights Commission estimates that 90,000 Kenyans were executed, tortured or maimed during the United Kingdom’s counterinsurgency campaign.
The issue remains painful for many Kenyans, and police dispersed a couple dozen people protesting at the foot of a monument to Kimathi in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi. “All the land under British should be given back to the Kenyan people,” said Juliet Wanjira with the Mathare Social Justice Center, calling also for the British military training mission in Kenya to leave.
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