The King has expressed the "greatest sorrow and deepest regret" over that wrongdoings that occured throughout Britain's colonial history with Kenya.
Without issuing a direct apology, he acknowledged there were "abhorrent and unjustifiable acts of violence" waged against the country as it sought to seek independence 60 years ago.
Report by Alibhaiz. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
Without issuing a direct apology, he acknowledged there were "abhorrent and unjustifiable acts of violence" waged against the country as it sought to seek independence 60 years ago.
Report by Alibhaiz. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
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NewsTranscript
00:00 [ Music ]
00:20 >> Now it is well known I think that my dear mother,
00:23 the late queen, had a particular affection for Kenya
00:28 and the Kenyan people.
00:30 She arrived here in 1952 a princess but left as queen.
00:37 It is extremely moving to read her diary from that visit
00:42 in which she wrote that she did not want to miss a moment
00:45 of Kenya's extraordinary landscapes.
00:49 I really cannot thank you enough
00:51 for the support Kenya gave her through that difficult time.
00:55 It is the intimacy of our shared history
01:00 that has brought our people together.
01:03 However, we must also acknowledge the most painful
01:07 times of our long and complex relationship.
01:12 The wrongdoings of the past are a cause of the greatest sorrow
01:16 and the deepest regret.
01:19 There were abhorrent and unjustifiable acts
01:22 of violence committed against Kenyans as they waged,
01:27 as you said at the United Nations, a painful struggle
01:31 for independence and sovereignty.
01:34 And for that, there can be no excuse.
01:39 In coming back to Kenya, it matters greatly to me
01:44 that I should deepen my own understanding of these wrongs
01:49 and that I meet some of those whose lives and communities
01:52 were so grievously affected.
01:56 None of this can change the past,
01:59 but by addressing our history with honesty and openness,
02:04 we can perhaps demonstrate the strength of our friendship
02:08 today.
02:10 And in so doing, we can, I hope, continue
02:14 to build an ever closer bond for the years ahead.