Visiting Kenya, King Charles III expressed grief, but did not apologize for the horrors caused to suppress the Mau Mau revolt in the 1950s. The uprising for the liberation of the Kikuyu people from colonial rule British rule resulted in a state of emergency declared by the British leaders. What followed was the death of more than 100,000 Kenyan fighters and civilians and the imprisonment in camps of several hundred thousand Kikuyus, many of whom ended up tortured, mutilated or killed.
This episode of repression, one of the most violent of the British colonial period in the country, paved the way for Kenya’s independence and the rise to power of its first post-independence leader, Jomo Kenyatta.
The British monarch and his wife, Queen Consort Camila, visited Nairobi last week to mark the 60e anniversary of Kenya’s independence from Great Britain and to promote a strong relationship between these two Commonwealth countries. Ironically, it was in Kenya that his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, was when she learned of the death of her father and therefore his imminent succession to the throne of one of the greatest empires in the world.
Not all Kenyans celebrated this monarchical visit, with good reason. In 2013, legal appeals lasting several years resulted in an agreement of around 30 million US dollars for more than 5,000 Kenyans victims of torture during the Mau-Mau repression. The British Foreign Minister at the time, William Hague, then admitted these abuses and regretted “odious violations of human dignity”.
Although he admitted the existence of repression, he never acknowledged responsibility for it. We deny “any responsibility, on behalf of the British government and taxpayers, for the actions of the colonial administration.” So why compensate the victims if we do not recognize responsibility? Precisely to avoid having to compensate them further. Especially when they are still alive.
Empathy, but no responsibility
During this first visit to a Commonwealth country, and the first to an African country, King Charles III also did not want to get wet by making excuses. While actions often speak louder than words, a formal apology can go a long way. They can lead to requests for financial compensation in which the British government does not want to get entangled. The king’s words were therefore tactfully chosen to express empathy, but not responsibility.
In general, a clear admission of wrongdoing ties the hands of governments, and it then becomes increasingly difficult to refuse to pay historical debts. The indigenous issue here was subject to the same kind of negotiations, ultimately leading to a more formal process of apology and reparation. Kenyan President William Ruto finds King Charles III’s visit encouraging, but believes much remains to be done to turn the page.
To maintain a certain popularity, President Ruto must satisfy young Kenyans, for whom the British monarchy represents only the scars of the past. Many question Kenya’s participation in the Commonwealth, a political association formed almost entirely of countries that were under British colonial rule. Young Kenyans are inspired by other nations around the world who are cutting ties with their former metropolis.
Barbados, a small Caribbean island, became a fully independent republic from Great Britain in 2021, after years of campaigning and mobilization. Exactly 55 years after obtaining its independence from its former metropolis, it completely detached itself from its links with the British monarchy. Upon becoming a republic, it was able to elect its first president: Sandra Mason, a former governor general appointed by Elizabeth II, and the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court of Barbados.
Jamaica will hold a referendum in 2024 to determine whether Charles III will remain the country’s king. Kingston also demands an official apology and reparations from Britain for crimes committed during colonization.
In Canada, nothing presages such a movement to break with the Commonwealth and the British monarchy. We will therefore continue, formally or informally, to swear allegiance to the king.