King Charles III and Her Majesty Queen Camilla, who arrived in the country last night, will meet President William Ruto at State House on Tuesday morning.
Their Majesties will receive a formal ceremonial reception with complete military ahead of talks with the President.
King Charles III and his wife Camilla are on a four-day visit to the country where the King is expected to acknowledge “painful aspects” of the UK’s colonial past.
They have an elaborate itinerary in Nairobi and Mombasa in the historic visit to solidify Kenya-UK relations.
The visit comes as Kenya celebrates 60 years of independence and will spotlight the strong and dynamic partnership between the UK and Kenya.
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Over 10,000 people died, and others tortured during the brutal suppression of the Mau Mau uprising in the 1950s, one of the British Empire’s bloodiest insurgencies.
Maumau remained outlawed and was designated a terrorist organization by the colonial government and subsequent administrations in independent Kenya, which did not overturn the ban.
It was only in 2003 that the law was changed, and members of the Mau Mau were finally recognized as freedom fighters.
The British government has expressed regret and paid compensation to some of the Mau Mau veterans, but it remains for the King to apologize and offer more reparations publicly.
Their Majesties will meet a diverse range of Kenyans reflecting the strong people-to-people ties which exist between our two nations, with a particular focus on Kenya’s young people.
They will also spend time with conservationists, environmental activists, artists, entrepreneurs, veterans, the Kenya Wildlife Service, and schoolchildren.
At the Coast, Her Majesty will spend time with survivors of gender-based violence.
At the same time, His Majesty will engage with religious leaders working with UK-funded programs to promote community cohesion.
The Royal Visit will also acknowledge the more painful aspects of the United Kingdom and Kenya’s shared history, including during the Emergency period (1952-1960). His Majesty will take time during his visit to meet and listen to Kenyans who experienced or whose loved ones experienced the ills of this period firsthand.
Further, their Majesties will visit a new museum dedicated to telling Kenya’s history through Kenyan voices and will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unkown Warrior at Uhuru Gardens National Monument & Museum, as well as visiting the Mugumo tree at the site where the Kenyan flag was raised for the first time in December 1963.
