The King and Queen joined President Ruto and the First Lady at Uhuru Gardens National Monument and Museum, where Kenya’s flag was first raised to mark independence almost 60 years ago.
During the ceremony, His Majesty and the President laid wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior, dedicated to honour all of those who have contributed to Kenya’s unity, peace and liberty, in the presence of members of the Kenyan Defence Forces and their families.
Their Majesties visited the Mugumo Tree on the site where the Kenyan flag was raised in the presence of the King’s father, the late Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, to mark independence in 1963, and also saw the repositioned home of Kenya’s first President, Jomo Kenyatta.
President Ruto, the King and the Queen then proceeded to the soon to open National Museum, intended to tell Kenya’s proud history through Kenyan voices. At the entrance to the museum, Their Majesties viewed statues of Kenyan freedom fighters Dedan Kimathi and Mekatalili Wa Menza before being led down the Tunnel of Martyrs, where former Director of Uhuru Gardens Brigadier Opiyo gave a moving account of the lives of those commemorated in the tunnel, including some of those who suffered ill-treatment and torture under the colonial administration.
Uhuru Gardens was closed 3 years ago for refurbishment and repairs. It is the country’s largest memorial park, and hosts two monuments commemorating Kenya’s independence and a mugumo tree. The facility sits on a 68-acre parcel of land; a hallowed ground where the Union Jack (British flag) was first lowered and the Kenyan flag hoisted, with the National Anthem being sung for the first time on December 12, 1963.
(extra pics by Nesh Maina, Office of the First Lady of KENYA)
