The United Kingdom is in deep mourning, following the passing away of its long-serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, at the ripe age of 96.
During her 70-year reign, the Queen presided over the dissolution of the British Empire, freeing its colonies.
She has been lonely since the death in April last year of her husband, Prince Philip, who was all along beside her through the highs and lows that shaped Britain into what it is today.
The establishment of the Commonwealth was a half-hearted bid to forge better ties with its former colonies.
In countries such as Kenya that saw brutal British repression, the Queen was the ultimate symbol.
However, Kenya initially had a special relationship with the monarch. She was visiting the country in February 1952, when her father died and she returned home as the new Head of State.
What followed was a bloody chapter in Kenya’s history, with atrocities committed against a people whose only sin was to demand independence.
Queen Elizabeth was at the helm when the anti-Mau Mau war was waged, and many innocent people were killed as Britain tried to hold onto its prized colony.
While the ties with Britain have been useful, it is difficult to forget those atrocities.
Thousands suffered torture in harsh detention camps, with 10,000 people killed during the struggle for independence from 1952 to 1960. Only about 30 white settlers were murdered by the Mau Mau.
But once Kenya gained independence in 1963, Britain became an important trading partner.
Bilateral ties have been enhanced through economic cooperation and trade, with Britain providing a ready market for Kenya’s agricultural produce.
Britain has also contributed to Kenya’s socio-economic progress through development assistance and training of high-level manpower.
The Queen leaves a mixed legacy of the brutal suppression of Kenyans in their own country and mutually beneficial relations.
Britain has had the upper hand, with a ready market for its manufacturing industry and Kenya serving as a source of raw materials for its industries.
Queen Elizabeth played her role, especially in the post-independence era, that should be built upon to forge more mutually beneficial ties between Kenya and the UK.
