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Africa News of Monday, 30 October 2023

Source: bbc.com

King faces mounting pressure over colonial abuse in Kenya

King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla are expected in Kenya on Tuesday for a four-day visit King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla are expected in Kenya on Tuesday for a four-day visit

The Kenya Human Rights Commission, which is a non-governmental organisation, has said King Charles III should apologise for abuses committed by Britain during the colonial era.

The monarch is making a four-day visit to Kenya starting on Tuesday, and says he will try to learn more about the wrongs people suffered there.

More than 10,000 were killed when the British authorities suppressed a pro-independence movement in the 1950s - 1,000 were hanged after summary trials.

The rights group on Sunday said it expected an "unequivocal public apology" from the king.

Ten years ago, the British government formally recognised that torture at the hands of the colonial administrators had taken place.

It expressed its sincere regret and agreed to pay compensation to thousands of veterans of the uprising.

Some Kenyan communities, including the Nandi, Kipsigis and Pokot are also demanding for apologies and financial compensation from the UK government for historical injustices committed against them during colonial rule.

Some of the communities are also calling on the UK to return their traditional artefacts and ancestral lands, which were grabbed by the colonial regime and are still held by British entities.