Britain’s King Charles and his wife Camilla will travel to Kenya for a four-day state visit beginning October 31st to November 3rd. This will be his first trip to a commonwealth nation since ascending to the throne after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, in 2022.
In a statement released on Wednesday 11th October, Buckingham Palace said the visit will be aimed at strengthening ties between the East African Nation and Great Britain.
“The visit is at the invitation of President Ruto and comes as Kenya prepares to celebrate 60 years of independence. His majesty’s is the first visit to a Commonwealth nation as king, a country in which Queen Elizabeth II’s reign began, having acceded to the throne in Kenya in February 1952,” the statement reads in part.
The symbolic nature of the visit will see Kenya’s president William Ruto and his top government officials meet the king for the first time since they were elected more than a year ago.
The King is expected to visit various key historical sites and museums in Nairobi and Mombasa during the four-day visit.
The late Queen Elizabeth was on vacation at the Treetops Hotel when her husband, Prince Philip broke the news to her that she was now the monarch. Due to logistics and the remoteness of the place, His Majesty will not be able to visit the hotel during the duration of his four-day visit to the country.
His Majesty will also attend a tech exhibition during his four-day visit. He is also set to attend a state banquet to discuss how Kenya and Great Britain are collaborating on key issues including climate change and defense. Tech has been a key sector to Kenya’s economic resurgence. The country is well on the way to being the preeminent technology hub of the continent. His Majesty’s visit will be a key highlight in the long journey towards tech-based industrialization.
The issue of the amount of torture and suffering suffered by Mau Mau veterans after many of them were killed by British soldiers in the famous uprising and struggle for independence between 1952 and 1961 still lingers. The British government paid out compensation to the survivors of the torture in 2013.
On the issue of colonialism and torture, the king’s deputy private secretary Chris Fitzgerald said, “His Majesty will take time during the visit to deepen his understanding of the wrongs suffered in this period by the people of Kenya.”
The visit will be a great opportunity for Kenya to strengthen her position as a key diplomatic entity on the continent and in the region. Earlier in October, President Ruto differed with the African Union Commission in his support for the state of Israel after the surprise assault by Hamas militants.
“The UK is committed to ensuring Kenya sees the UK as a partner of choice on peace, on trade, on economic development, and much more … Their Majesties and his majesty in particular are able to get together government, private sector, and civil society, as no other person can do,” added Fitzgerald.
