British High Commissioner to Kenya Neil Wigan during an interview in Nairobi on Sunday, November 5.
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UK envoy Neil Wigan: Britain ready to engage communities that suffered during colonial era
The United Kingdom (UK) is open to discussions with communities that suffered at the hands of the colonial security apparatus for possible compensation, High Commissioner Neil Wigan has said.
In an exclusive interview with the Nation two days after the historic visit of King Charles III to his official residence, the diplomat said his country is ready to engage those affected during the war that saw many Kenyans killed.
He said that while the King's speech focused on the future and the present, he also wanted to address, acknowledge and talk about the past. “That is why he was here, to address and engage with the people who were affected,” Mr Wigan said.
He believes Kenyans were “impressed” and “touched” by the King’s stance.
The visit was King Charles and Queen Camilla’s first trip to a Commonwealth country and outside Europe since their enthronement.
At a State House banquet during the King’s visit last week, President William Ruto touched on the past, saying while Kenya and the UK were celebrating 60 years of diplomatic relations, “this in no way means that our peoples were total strangers before that”.
The King spoke of the UK’s “deep regret” for colonial atrocities.
“By addressing our history with honesty and openness, perhaps we can demonstrate the strength of our friendship today. And in doing so, I hope we can forge an ever closer bond in the years to come,” said King Charles.
During the visit, King Charles met with some of the descendants of the victims, including Mrs Evelyn Kimathi, whose father, Dedan Kimathi, was a Mau Mau veteran.
So far, around 5,000 victims of the war have been compensated by the British government, in 2015, but there are more who are still crying out for their dues.
Since his appointment this year, Mr Wigan has met and spoken with representatives of some of the veterans.
“I have spoken to them and they all want different things. There are some things we can't do, but we’ll see what we can do. Of course, I want to understand what happened and do everything possible to bring about reconciliation,” he said.
The High Commissioner is familiar with regional affairs, having previously served in Mogadishu, Somalia. His last posting was in Tel Aviv, Israel, before he was sent to Nairobi.
Aside from the dark colonial past that evokes grim memories, there are recent unsolved crimes committed against Kenyans associated with the British, particularly at the army bases in Nanyuki.
One of these gruesome stories is the murder of 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru, whose case is still pending.
“This investigation is being led by the Kenyan police, we are cooperating fully, including our Ministry of Defence. Because it's an ongoing investigation, I can't give any more details,” the High Commissioner said.
In areas like the Lolldaiga Hills, where British soldiers started a fire that destroyed an entire village, Mr Wigan said they are now putting a lot of effort into preventing such incidents, but he says they should be treated fairly.
“These are areas used by the Kenyan Army and the British Army, so it's not always clear who's responsible for what. We take it very seriously and I want to make sure that we listen to the concerns of the communities,” he said.
British High Commissioner to Kenya Neil Wigan.
Those affected by the Lolldaiga fire say the compensation process is painstakingly slow and demanding.
“We have received so many claims and the claims commission needs time to process them. We are trying to do it as quickly as possible. We want to be good guests and make sure that the communities there welcome us,” Mr Wigan said.
“We want the British Army to engage with these communities in an open and transparent way. But I would say they bring a lot of economic benefits and a lot of jobs to Kenyans in that area. What I am hearing is that they welcome the British but they want the issues to be addressed seriously, and we are listening,” he added.
The envoy told the ‘Nation’ that Kenya was specifically chosen to host the monarch because of the strong relationship that exists between the two countries.
“One of the things we wanted to do was to show not only how strong our relationship is, but how broad it is,” he said.
The broader themes of the recent visit focused on three key areas: innovation, youth and sustainability.
During his visit to the United Nations, the King launched a new Business Council for Africa, which will work with organisations such as Kenya’s British-owned brewery, East Africa Breweries Limited.
The diplomat also spoke about King Charles’ passion for the planet and how much he cares about it.
“The King has been passionate about this for decades. I think he was ahead of his time. We hope that Britain and Kenya will work closely together at COP28,” he said.
Mr Wigan hinted that an Africa Investment Summit would be held in the UK next April.
With some of the country's neighbours and parts of East Africa wracked by civil war, the High Commissioner said the Kenyan-British security partnership is stronger than it was a decade ago. “We have worked well together on counter-terrorism and even on training Kenya’s elite forces and supporting Kenya’s troops,” he said.
Mr Wigan touched on the current war between Israel and Hamas. “What is happening is an absolute tragedy for both sides, we support Israel’s right to defend itself against a terrorist attack by Hamas, but we are also deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza,” he said.