•It comes months after Kenya hosted the climate change summit which was the first ever for Africa even as Kenya seeks to lead the continent and the world on the use of renewable energy.
•King Charles’s visit compounds the President William Ruto’s efforts to elevate the country’s fortunes in the global world.
Image: PCS
Kenya holds symbolic significance for Charles' family because of what it represented for his late mother, Queen Elizabeth who was in Kenya when she learned her father had died and she had become queen.
The trip happened when Kenya was celebrating 60 years of independence from Britain.
Out of the 56 commonwealth countries with 19 of them from Africa, the King chose Kenya as its first destination.
This may not have come as a surprise owing to the family’s connection with Kenya but the publicity that has come with it has got the world thinking about the country’s rising position among fastest growing economies in Africa.
It comes months after Kenya hosted the climate change summit which was the first ever for Africa even as Kenya seeks to lead the continent and the world on the use of renewable energy.
King Charles’s visit compounds the President William Ruto’s efforts to elevate the country’s fortunes in the global world.
According to Fergus Kell the Project Manager and Research Analyst, Africa Program, the visit uplifts and cements Kenya’s geopolitics position
“Kenya's status as a cornerstone of UK engagement in Africa will be further cemented by King Charles's visit this week- his first outside of Europe as monarch and first to a Commonwealth country as its head, " he said in one of his articles.
"One of just four African countries named in the British government's Integrated Review, Kenya is a financial hub and anchor state in an unsettled region."
According to Kell, President William Ruto will also be boosted by the King’s visit given the position he has taken on critical issues affecting the globe and even countries outside Africa.
“William Ruto continues to seek a foothold on the global stage and has perfected the art of rallying against powerful ruling dynasties,” he said.
Ruto has already been praised by US President Joe Bidden for Kenya's acceptance to send troops to Haiti.
This saw US Defense Secretary Lloyd James Austin visit Kenya.
In his speech, King Charles confirmed that the presence of many British Kenyans in his country gave him more impetus and reason to visit
“Before traveling here, my wife and I held a reception in London to celebrate the invaluable contribution of Kenyans and British Kenyans to almost every field of British life, from the arts to medicine to academia. I was as touched by their affection for the United Kingdom as I was immensely grateful for what each of them brings to my country. It is the intimacy of our shared history that has brought our people together,” he said.
The King regretted the dark past between the two countries but promised more partnerships.
“The wrongdoings of the past are a cause of the greatest sorrow and the deepest regret,” he said.
“There were abhorrent and unjustifiable acts of violence committed against Kenyans as they waged, as you said at the United Nations, a painful struggle for independence and sovereignty – and for that, there can be no excuse. ”
He was quick to recognize Kenya’s first Marine Commando Unit which was established earlier this year, trained by British Royal Marines.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla on their second day paid a visit to a Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) cemetery in Kariokor, Nairobi.
They laid a wreath at the memorial in honour of the casualties of the First and Second World Wars.
The cemetery is situated in an area associated with the Carrier Corps of World War I hence the Kenyan name ‘Kariokor’.
Most of the Kariokor casualties were not individually commemorated, and their contribution was largely overlooked.
According to Buckingham Palace, the visit is an opportunity for Their Majesties to engage with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s ‘Non-Commemorated Project’, which addresses the historical inequalities in commemorating those killed during the First and Second World War.
At Kariokor, the King presented four Mau Mau veterans with replacement campaign medals, as many veterans who fought in World War II alongside the British disposed of their medals.
The King and Queen also met Sam Mattock, who has taken the lead in identifying living veterans of World War II, and sourcing replacement campaign medals.
The King also met members of the community involved in the future of the Kariokor site, and the ongoing work to ensure that African soldiers who fell during the two World Wars, who were not individually commemorated, are recognized through historical research and engagement with the local community to find the most appropriate means of marking their contribution.
The two countries also signed a Memorandum of Understanding to deepen bilateral ties between the two countries.
Education CS Ezekiel Machogu said the MoU provides an excellent framework to help improve access and quality of education and training at all levels in Kenya.
"The MoU that we are signing today will strengthen and deepen our existing ties and partnerships. The MoU will contribute to the sustainable development pillar of the UK-Kenya Strategic Partnership," Machogu said.
While the King visits Mombasa, he is expected to tour Kenyan Marine Commando Unit at the Kenya Navy headquarters in Mtongwe, old town and several parts including the famous elephant tusks commonly known as Pembe Za Ndovu meet human rights activists and other stakeholders.
Elkana is a criminologist, security expert and communication consultant.