On Wednesday, King Charles III met in secret with the family of the rebel leader who was put to death in Kenya for defying British colonial control.
Relatives of other prominent Kenyan independence fighters, like Dedan Kimathi, who was hanged by the British government, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
They have previously demanded an apology and financial support from Britain in addition to any details regarding Kimathi’s body’s location.
The encounter was described as a “opportunity for the king to hear firsthand about the violence committed against Kenyans during their struggle for independence” by the British High Commision. The chair of the Mau Mau War Veterans Association was among those present.
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.
In his first state visit to a Commonwealth nation as king, Charles landed on Monday, October 31, accompanied by Queen Camilla. On Tuesday, he mentioned the “abhorrent and unjustifiable acts of violence” committed against Kenyans in their quest for independence. As many Kenyans had hoped, he did not, however, expressly apologise for Britain’s activities in its former colony.
Charles went to a military cemetery on Wednesday, November 1st, and laid a wreath there in remembrance of those who served alongside the British in the two world wars.
He gave four military veterans who had lost their medals replacements. Cpl. Samwel Nthigai Mburia, who represents himself as 117, was one of the four. Privates John Kavai, Kefa Chagira, and Ezekiel Nyanjom Anyange are the other three.
The 59-grave cemetery is located near to Kariokor Market, which was formerly the location of Nairobi’s Carrier Corps Depot, the command post that soldiers used to get to the front lines. Charles also had meetings with locals who lived close to the cemetery and officials of the Commonwealth War Graves Commision.
Authorities erected massive security, including army, elite units, ordinary police, and an anti-terror police unit, on the roads leading to the military cemetery, which is only a short walk from the major business district.
This year, Kenya is commemorating its 60th year of independence. Following the protracted fight against colonial control, also known as the Mau Mau Rebellion, in which thousands of Kenyans were slaughtered, it maintained a tight but occasionally difficult relationship with Britain.
As they attempted to put an end to the rebellion, colonial officials murdered and imprisoned numerous people without a trial; thousands of Kenyans also claimed that administration officers had beaten and sexually molested them.
