President William Ruto has welcomed King Charles III and Queen Camilla who are on a four-day state visit in Kenya.
Although the four-day trip by Charles and Queen Camilla has been billed as an opportunity to look to the future and build on the strong ties between London and Nairobi, the legacy of decades of British colonial rule looms large.
It is the 74-year-old British head of state’s first visit to an African and Commonwealth nation since ascending the throne in September last year on the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
While welcoming the duo, H.E Ruto said that Kenya is honoured to host His Majesty King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
“We will work together to build an even stronger and more prosperous future featuring cooperation in strategic areas such as defense and security, education and climate change for our shared prosperity,” Ruto said.
He added that the Kenya-UK historic ties have grown steadily, deeper and stronger, enabling the two countries to achieve stable progress in trade and investments.
The British High Commission said the visit, which follows trips to Germany and France earlier this year, will “spotlight the strong and dynamic partnership between the UK and Kenya”.
But it will also “acknowledge the more painful aspects” of Britain’s historic relationship with Kenya as the country prepares to celebrate 60 years of independence in December.