Historical ties of King Charles III with Kariokor

Kariokor, originally known as the Carrier Corps, is where Africans allegedly carried everything including food and drinks for the soldiers to survive during the campaign for the First World War. 

According to Donald C. Savage in an article dubbed: Carrier Corps Recruitment in British East Africa Protectorate 1914-1918  he states, for the Africans at the time to meet requirements for labour, the colonial government followed a policy of recruitment of the youth. 

He adds that the process had initial confusion over the method and the degree to which compulsion could be utilised.

"African reluctance to serve was heightened by complaints about conditions, and their frequent attempts to evade conscription."

As the conflicts grew, following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in 1914, it was reported that the British recruited thousands of youth in East Africa to fight in the war, as over 70 million military were mobilised for the conflict.

In the war, Germany, Bulgaria, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire fought against Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, Japan, and the United States of America.

The role of Africans, and much largely, east Africans was to also clean, cook, build roads, bridges, and dig trenches. 

As they could not pronounce the word 'Carrier Corps' correctly, they opted to say Kariokor, and that's how the name stuck, leading to be one of Kenya's most famous places. 

Kariokor became a busy centre, as an estimated another thousand of the youth were allegedly being recruited to serve over 60,000 military personnel in different countries. 

As much as it was reported that Kariokor was known for recruiting African labourers to assist in the conscripted into the war, there is no clear evidence of such allegations. 

Kariokor is known for its curio shops, garages, jua kali sheds, at least 59 graves of unknown Africans who died in the Second World War; and cemeteries.

According to Geoffrey Hodges in his book 'Kariokor: The Carrier Corps,' he says that the allegedly recruited East African youth eventually died of sickness, among other factors. 

"They succumbed to hunger, poor medication, mistreatment, and harsh physical conditions," the book stated. 

King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla landed in Nairobi for their four-day visit to Kenya some minutes before 11 pm, Monday, following an invitation by President William Ruto to mark Kenya's 60 years of independence. 

This is the first time he has visited the country after coronation and his late mother Queen Elizabeth II was announced queen.

The Majesties will visit several parts of the country including Nairobi, Mombasa, and adjacent counties. 

Their tour will end on November 3, 2023.