Why Nandi, Talai communities want King Charles to tour Nandi during Kenyan visit

As Kenya anticipates the visit of the United Kingdom’s King Charles III and his wife Camila this week, Nandi and Talai communities call for the King to extend his tour to Nandi where the Britons were fiercely resisted by the two communities during Britain's colonial rule over Kenya.

Addressing the media in Chepkober of Kapsisiywa Chesumei Sub County on Sunday, the two communities were represented by a member of the Kaptorugat family Mzee Christopher Arap Koiyogi.

He noted that the essence of the King's visit to Nandi was to discuss how to compensate the community whose leader Orkoiyot Koitalel Arap Samoei was brutally shot and killed by the imperialists on October 19, 1905, in Ketbarak during a peace meeting between the colonial masters and the Nandi community.

Mzee Koiyoki noted that immediately Orkoiyot and his cabinet including Maotik were killed by the British soldier Colonel Richard Meinertzhagen the rest of the Community without a leader were murdered and displaced and their lucrative lands were taken away by the White settlers.

To date, he said none of them has been compensated and now they need that compensation to be executed.

At the same time, Mzee Koiyoki who has in the past served as Kapsisiywa ward councillor challenged President William Ruto who was related to the Talai community to intervene and ensure King Charles III stepped in Nandi's Talai land.

He argued that both of them were elected into office on the same date and day last year and the coincidence can well be explained by the leaders drawn from Kap Torugat and Maotik families.

Buckingham Palace said Charles and his wife Queen Camilla will "acknowledge the more painful aspects" of colonial history during their four-day state visit from October 31.

"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.

The visit is the first by Charles to a Commonwealth country since becoming king in September last year.