RECKONING

King Charles to Acknowledge Britain’s ‘Painful’ Colonial History With Kenya

The British government apologized for abuse of Mau Mau fighters, thousands of whom were hanged, in 2013.

King Charles, who is due to visit Kenya later this month, will seek to “deepen his understanding of the wrongs suffered” during the British army’s suppression of the Mau Mau uprising of 1952–1960 in that country, which saw thousands hanged and more than 150,000 Kenyans rounded up into camps. The rebellion failed but is considered by historians to have been a major factor leading to Kenyan independence in 1963. At a Buckingham Palace media briefing ahead of the trip Wednesday, a spokesperson for the king said the visit would celebrate the “strong and dynamic partnership” between the countries but also acknowledge the “more painful aspects” of their history. In 2013, Britain apologized and paid more than $20 million in compensation to more than 5,000 people who had suffered abuse by the British army during the rebellion by the Kenya Land and Freedom Party, who were also called the Mau Mau.