Apologise to Kenya for colonial atrocities, Koigi Wamwere urges British King Charles
70-year-old Koigi Wamwere during an interview with The Nation at his Sauti ya Mwananchi offices in Nakuru County on October 17, 2023.
What you need to know:
- In an exclusive interview with the Nation, Mr Wamwere regretted that the British government butchered Kenyan heroes and buried them in a disgraceful manner
- Buckingham palace confirmed that King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla will be making a four-day State visit to Kenya from the end of this month
Ahead of a planned visit to Kenya by British King Charles III, former political detainee Koigi Wamwere is asking for a formal apology from him over atrocities committed during colonialism.
Mr Wamwere wants the king to admit liability and offer reparation to Kenyan families who lost their loved ones during the struggle for independence when the British soldiers executed thousands of Mau Mau fighters.
According to the former Nakuru North MP, King Charles must be reminded of the painful events of the brutal war waged by the colonial government against Kenyans between 1952 and 1963.
In an exclusive interview with the Nation, Mr Wamwere regretted that the British government butchered Kenyan heroes and buried them in a disgraceful manner with some graves yet to be identified most notably that of Dedan Kimathi.
“I hope that we shall remember to remind King Charles lll that the UK government owes Kenya an apology for waging war against Kenya during the Mau Mau. Kenyans through President William Ruto should remind King Charles that the British government killed our greatest heroes such as Dedan Kimathi and buried his body in a place where we have never found,” said Mr Wamwere.
On October 11, Buckingham palace confirmed that King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla will be making a four-day State visit to Kenya from the end of this month.
This followed an invite from President Ruto.
Mr Wamwere still holds bitter feelings against the Kenyan government on its treatment of Kenyan heroes who says they are an important aspect of the country’s history and should be accorded the honour and respect they deserve.
While commenting on the Mashujaa day which will be officially observed in Kericho on Friday, the former lawmaker said it should be used to fete all heroes of different generations without having to politicise it.
Mr Wamwere, however, regretted successive regimes have not treated their heroes appropriately.
“The heroes who existed in different generations should be celebrated because these are people who fought for us or did something that inspires us in one way or the other,” said Mr Wamwere.
Some of his lifetime heroes include Ernesto Che Guevara, Patrice Lumumba and Nelson Mandela.
“They are my heroes not just for what they did but for the inspiration that they give me,” he said.
