2023-10-29 22:41:36
Representatives of the Masai communities in Kenya and Tanzania sent a petition to the British Crown on Sunday October 29. King Charles III is due to arrive in Nairobi on Monday for a four-day visit. Buckingham Palace announced that the sovereign would discuss “ the most painful aspects » of British history in Kenya. Among them, according to the Masai communities, is the dispossession of their land.
Published on: 10/29/2023 – 11:41 p.m.
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With our correspondent in Nairobi, Gaëlle Laleix
In 1904 and 1911, when Kenya was still only a protectorate, the British authorities made the Masai elders sign two treaties, by which they granted their lands to the settlers. The Maasai populations were then moved to reserves.
Today, Daniel, one of the Maasai chiefs of Narok, southwest of Nairobi, is demanding justice: “ These agreements came into force without real representation of the community of the Masai community and without its agreement. This has led to the dispossession of significant portions of the lands of our ancestors, to population displacements and to socio-economic challenges for our communities. This theft of our land has disrupted our ways of life, disintegrated our cultural heritage and weakened our livelihoods and those of future generations. »
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To correct history, the Masai therefore submitted a certain number of requests to King Charles III. Richard Legyagu, member of the council of elders of Samburu, in the center of the country, explains: “ We never signed the independence documents at Lancaster House, and we would like the opportunity. The Masai of Tanzania ask the king to exercise his influence on Tanzania to put an end to the dispossession of their lands in Ngorongoro. We ask His Majesty for recognition of the historical injustices done to the Masai. Finally, we propose a comprehensive plan for land restitution and compensation. »
During his stay, King Charles III will not go to Masai country. He will spend two days in Nairobi, then fly to Mombasa, on the coast.
The Sunday October 29, 2023 edition of the Kenyan daily Daily Nation shows King Charles III, expected in the country on Monday, and headlines “The dark past”, in reference to the spoliations of the British empire. AP – Sayyid Abdul Azim
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