My mixed feelings on King Charles III visit to Kenya

**Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla leave following a Service of Prayer and Reflection for the life of Queen Elizabeth II at Llandaff Cathedral in Cardiff, Wales, September 16, 2022.** [AP photo]

We argued some time back that the road out of Brexit will end up in the Commonwealth, the group of former British colonies.

It is logical that after leaving the European Union (EU), Britain or the United Kingdom (UK) would seek closer ties with its former colonies.

Kenya is one of them and a soft spot. History confirms that. It’s not just about King’s mother being in Kenya when she became the Queen in 1952, but also strategic British interests.

British-owned or linked firms still own lots of assets in Kenya, from companies to plantations. They would have been owning more had the economy not been liberalised in the 1990s leading to competition and some sell-offs.

British ties to Kenya date back to 1895, when Kenya became a protectorate. We should be celebrating 128 years since Kenya became a nation, not 60 years.

The highly stratified British system was imported to Kenya. A visit to the white highlands demonstrates large farms owned by captains, generals and colonels; the rewards for having fought for the Empire in World wars.

Villages like Kanarî (colonel), Kwa Njeneri (general), Kapten (captain), Kaniki (Carnegie) and Ha Menja (Major’s) are legacies of British heydays in Kenya. The British legacy is not just in village names but in big houses that are finally getting competition after 60 years. Kindly share such village names with us.

Tracing these settlers’ names and their history is a good hobby. Curiously, we know so little about these Britons who once made Kenya their home.

One reason is they easily pass as tourists. And they do not integrate much with us. And they are few. The other reason is that our history focuses too much on the far past.

I just learned the name of the mzungu whose house was part of our primary school, just five years ago. But I knew enough about Zinjanthropus and his relatives!

Is that prehistory a deliberate distraction from what matters? How come whether it’s A level, 8.4.4 or CBC Zinjanthropus is somewhere?

Enough digression. How should we welcome King Charles III? First, my encounters with the UK or British.

**A street in London, UK.** [File, Standard]

Most implements in our household while growing up were “Made in England.” Examples are fork jembes and utensils. Lots of cars were British-made then - Leyland, Morris, Austin, Landover and Bedford, among others. Most of our high school books were written by Britons.

British flag

Remember Abbot? Backhouse? Lambert and Holderness? Recall subjects they wrote about. Another memorable encounter was waving goodbye to Charles III’s mother when she visited Kenya in 1983.

We were driven to the airport in a Bedford school bus christened, Concorde. I did not see her, but I kept waving the small British flag given to us!

I should not forget that I am writing in English. I have also visited the UK but not Buckingham Palace. Visiting the daughter of the owner of my primary school’s big house was the hallmark of the visit. Kihuko was his nickname.

He was Kenneth Wilfred Nunn (1915-1995). He had red hair like the daughter. My visit left me perplexed about how such a small island conquered the world. I finally appreciated the power of science and technology.

I should welcome the King as a national guest, and in Africa, we love visitors. We even have cups, plates, spoons and other utensils for visitors! His position as the head of the Commonwealth, King of England and less spoken, the head of the Anglican Church leaves no room for us not to welcome him. The Church of England website says “His Majesty the King is the Supreme Governor of the Church of England."

The King appoints archbishops, bishops and deans of cathedrals on the advice of the Prime Minister.”

Could this unity of the State and church have contributed to England’s success in building the Empire? Could it be replicated elsewhere? My welcome is muted for four reasons. One is that Kenya is a republic and monarchism is the antithesis of that. By welcoming the King, we are indirectly acknowledging that monarchs are not that bad.

Do you recall the hustler-dynasty saga? Perhaps we should revive our kingdoms. Why did the British Empire brutally end our kingdoms but has kept its own? In reviving our kingdoms; I could end up being Prince Iraki or the Duke of Shamakhokhoshire.

Two is that my parents were once British subjects before uhuru. Three of my uncles fought for the Empire in the Second World War (WW II). They luckily came home. But unlike the British soldiers who got big pieces of land, they did not get any.

I don’t recall any of them talking of a pension. Many of their contemporaries were in the same boat. One of the uncles despite fighting in Burma still did his time in detention.

Three is colonialism. It destroyed societies, and their cultures and the aftermaths are still felt to this day. The detention of men during the Mau Mau emergency planted the seeds of single parenthood and land grabbing.

**Colonial administrators at a village during the Mau Mau crackdown in the 1950s.** [File, Standard]

Some detainees found their land or wives gone. Mau Mau theatre was the training ground for Idi Amin before he unleashed his terror on Ugandans years later. Can I meet the children he left in Murang’a?

Four, the Mau Mau compensation was not that transparent and a few joy riders could have benefited. Five thousand was a very small number compared with the number of men and women who suffered under the British gulags, to quote Caroline Erskine.

I have no doubt we can’t reverse history, but we can learn from it. An apology would open a can of worms but would be very African; we love forgiving. It’s also very religious. Perhaps, we should become more like the US, a former British colony that is her equal and no longer uses colonialism as a dustbin or excuse for lack of economic growth and prosperity.

I hope the king can meet some of Mau Mau detainees or their children and shake their hands as a gesture of the irreversibility of history.

We should not be too harsh on the UK and the King, the Empire is now more accommodating of “its children.”

The UK Prime Minister has Indian and Kenyan roots. And my visit to the UK left no doubt it’s becoming more multicultural and multiracial. When is Rishi Sunak visiting Kenya?

Finally, Can I let you in on a little secret? I was to get the name Charles but ran away one week before baptism in an AIPCA church.