The beginning of King Charles's trip to Kenya was marred by fierce protests today as campaigners took to the streets of Nairobi to express their discontent with Britain's colonial legacy. Demonstrators held signs and banners objecting to the King's visit and demanding accountability for historical injustices. His Majesty is scheduled to arrive in the Kenyan capital later in the day, accompanied by Queen Camilla, for his first state visit to a Commonwealth country as King.

In the impoverished Mathare Valley area of Nairobi, protestors gathered in large numbers, denouncing the Royal Family and calling attention to painful aspects of the shared history between the United Kingdom and Kenya. One of the posters read, "Kenyans denounce a brutal monarch's visit" and demanded that the King bring the remains of Dedan Kimathi, the leader of the Mau Mau revolt. Kimathi was executed by British troops in 1957 and buried in an unmarked grave, and Kenyans are urging the King to intervene to locate the exact burial site.

Other protestors held signs calling for the return of historical Kenyan artifacts currently displayed in the British Museum, as well as the restitution of land seized during colonial times. The demonstrations also demanded justice for Koitalel Arap Samoei, a Kenyan tribal leader assassinated in 1906.

The protests come ahead of the 60th anniversary of Kenya's independence from Britain, which will be celebrated on December 12. While the relationship between the two nations has been close in recent years, the violent colonial legacy of the Mau Mau uprising remains a contentious issue for many Kenyans.

During a period known as the "Emergency" from 1952 to 1960, British authorities employed severe measures to suppress the Mau Mau guerrilla campaign against European settlers, resulting in the deaths of approximately 10,000 people, mainly from the Kikuyu tribe. In 2013, the British government reached a settlement worth nearly £20 million to compensate over 5,000 Kenyans who had suffered abuses during the revolt.

The Kenya Human Rights Commission has called on King Charles to issue an unequivocal public apology and pay reparations for the injustices committed by colonial authorities. The presence of British troops in Kenya also remains a source of tension, with an ongoing parliamentary inquiry into their activities.

Despite the protests, the King and Queen's visit is expected to include various engagements aimed at celebrating the close ties between the British and Kenyan people, particularly in areas such as technology, enterprise, education, and innovation. The King is set to express his sorrow over Britain's role in suppressing the Mau Mau uprising and address the painful aspects of the shared history between the two nations.

The King's visit to Kenya is part of his broader mission to strengthen the Commonwealth amid calls for other member nations to become republics. The demonstrations in Nairobi highlight the complex and unresolved issues surrounding Britain's colonial past and its impact on countries like Kenya.