MP Koech says King Charles visit shows UK treats Kenya 'with seriousness'

Belgut Member of Parliament Nelson Koech says the visit by Britain’s King Charles to Kenya is an honour to the country and a testament to how the United Kingdom treats Kenya “with seriousness.”

Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla arrived in the country on Monday ahead of their four-day state visit which kicks off Tuesday.

The royals are visiting on invitation by President William Ruto and this will be their first official visit to an African nation and the first to a Commonwealth member state since their coronation in May.

It comes as Kenya prepares to celebrate 60 years of independence from Britain.

According to Koech, it is “extremely significant and a great honour” that Charles and Camilla are visiting the country at this time.

“It should be remembered that when Queen Elizabeth rose to the throne she was in Kenya, in Nyeri; it should be extremely significant for them to be back,” Koech told Citizen TV during Tuesday’s Day Break program, referencing Charles’s mother who died in September last year after a 70-year reign.

“That indicates the seriousness the UK treats Kenya [with] as an anchor state in the region. That is extremely, extremely important.”

The MP argued that Kenya has a lot to benefit from the visit, including a potential boost to its tourism sector.

“This country is a tourist destination and should tap into this visit. There is a lot of excitement about the visit and I am sure as a country, at the conclusion of this visit, we will have gained a lot,” Koech said.

There have been calls for the British monarch to apologise during his visit for atrocities that saw about 10,000 people killed during Britain's brutal suppression of the Mau Mau uprising.

Buckingham Palace on October 11 said the visit was aimed at celebrating the "warm relationship" between the two countries and also "acknowledge the more painful aspects of the UK and Kenya's shared history including the Emergency" in 1952-1960, a reference to bloody rebellions against colonial rule.

"His Majesty will take time during the visit to deepen his understanding of the wrongs suffered in this period by the people of Kenya," the palace said.

According to a Monday evening press release by the British High Commission in Nairobi, Charles will meet veterans and give his blessing to efforts by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission “to ensure Kenyans and Africans who supported British efforts in the World Wars are properly commemorated.”