The United Kingdom’s King Charles and Queen Camilla on Tuesday hosted 400 members of the Kenyan diaspora at Buckingham Palace to mark the sixtieth anniversary of Kenya’s independence from Britain.
This comes ahead of the royal couple’s state visit to Kenya next week.
According to a statement by the Kenya High Commission in London, the guest list comprised Kenyans and friends of Kenya drawn from charities, pharmaceuticals, the arts and entertainment, education and research, fintech, healthcare, hospitality, and tourism.
Investors focused on Kenya and diplomats were also present, the High Commission said.
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🇰🇪 🇬🇧 This afternoon The King and Queen welcomed members of the UK-Kenyan community to Buckingham Palace ahead of next week’s State Visit to the country. #RoyalVisitKenya pic.twitter.com/lGinHFV62x
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) October 24, 2023
Representing Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Minister Musalia Mudavadi at the reception, Principal Secretary for Diaspora Affairs Roseline Njogu commended the royal family for recognizing and honoring Kenya's diaspora community for their positive contributions.
“We are also proud of the exemplary and trend-setting work and effort in fostering people-to-people relations between the two countries by Kenyans in the United Kingdom," she said.
Manoah Esipisu, High Commissioner of Kenya to the UK, joined her.
"This was a huge moment for Kenyans in the UK ahead of the Royal Visit, a moment that attests to Kenya's significant influence with the UK and our strong bilateral relations," Esipisu said.
Charles and Camilla are scheduled to visit Kenya from October 31 to November 3 at the invitation of President William Ruto.
It is the first to a Commonwealth country since Charles ascended to the throne in September last year.
