mzeiya
Elder Lister
Mans wanted to be globally famous. Well, he is now...
Here's the article translated from Dutch
With hashtags such as #CancelTheVisit and #HumanRightsFirst, Kenyans on social media are asking the royal couple to cancel the state visit . They are also calling for protest emails to be sent to the Government Information Service and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These calls have already been shared and liked thousands of times.
Foreign Affairs confirms when asked, also on behalf of the RVD, that they have received at least three hundred e-mails about the royal visit to Kenya, but do not yet have the full picture and are still investigating this. According to activists, who use an online form among other things , it would concern thousands of e-mails.
These demonstrations got completely out of hand; the police fired live ammunition at the mostly young demonstrators. At least 60 Kenyans are said to have died . Recent research by the Reuters news agency also shows that the police repeatedly tried to cover up the violent cause of death .
The street protests were brutally suppressed, but Kenyans continue to demand the president's resignation en masse through online actions and petitions. Human rights organizations say this activism is life-threatening: since June last year, at least 82 people have reportedly been taken away against their will by armed men . A number were found dead, dozens are still missing.
Last month there was another wave of kidnappings . Authorities deny any involvement, but victims include Kenyans who have been critical of the government.
“We take this very seriously,” he said in a Zoom call from the United Kingdom. “This is about people’s lives (…) it looks like they are supporting a murderous regime, a regime that is known to murder its own youth.”
According to Amenya, the royal visit feels particularly bitter because of the International Criminal Court, which is located in The Hague. Ruto was charged by the court in 2012, when he was still vice-president, for his role in mass election violence in 2007-2008. He was acquitted in 2016 due to lack of evidence.
In a written response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also on behalf of the Government Information Service, stated that it is aware of the human rights violations in Kenya, "against which the Netherlands speaks out both publicly and in contacts with Kenyan authorities" and that it sees the visit as an opportunity to "discuss difficult topics such as human rights violations".
"We all understand that the Netherlands and Kenya have an important bond," says Gaitho. "Especially when it comes to things like flowers and tourism. But the king and queen cannot pretend that they are living in a bubble, that they are not getting the news. Life may be easy for them, as royals , but for us, life as long as Ruto is in power is a nightmare."
Khamala is upset that the announcement of the visit states that the royal couple is visiting Kenya because the country is 'playing an increasingly influential role on the world stage'. "The president of Kenya wants them to come to show that he has foreign friends and to polish his image," she says. "The Dutch royal family should not participate in that if they care about human rights."
Khamala is in a WhatsApp group with about a hundred other Kenyans living in the Netherlands. "We will at least try to make ourselves heard as much as possible and also want to offer a petition."
The announcement on X of the state visit by the Dutch embassy in Kenya has also been responded to hundreds of times . For example, Kenyans posted photos of dead demonstrators on the street and wrote "we are not ready for a visit, wait until we have repaired Kenya and then you will receive an invitation".
Here's the article translated from Dutch
Kenyans protest against arrival of the Royal Family: 'President is abusing your visit'
There has been unrest online among Kenyans about the state visit of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, which was announced last week . The royal couple will visit the East African country between 18 and 20 March, at the invitation of President William Ruto. But the Kenyan president has long been under fire for human rights violations in the country.With hashtags such as #CancelTheVisit and #HumanRightsFirst, Kenyans on social media are asking the royal couple to cancel the state visit . They are also calling for protest emails to be sent to the Government Information Service and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These calls have already been shared and liked thousands of times.
Foreign Affairs confirms when asked, also on behalf of the RVD, that they have received at least three hundred e-mails about the royal visit to Kenya, but do not yet have the full picture and are still investigating this. According to activists, who use an online form among other things , it would concern thousands of e-mails.
Protesters shot dead
In August 2022, Ruto won the presidential election on promises to revive the country’s flagging economy. He won support from millions of Kenyans working in the country’s informal economy. But hopes turned to disappointment and, finally, in June last year, to mass protests against government plans to raise taxes on basic commodities like food and fuel.These demonstrations got completely out of hand; the police fired live ammunition at the mostly young demonstrators. At least 60 Kenyans are said to have died . Recent research by the Reuters news agency also shows that the police repeatedly tried to cover up the violent cause of death .
The street protests were brutally suppressed, but Kenyans continue to demand the president's resignation en masse through online actions and petitions. Human rights organizations say this activism is life-threatening: since June last year, at least 82 people have reportedly been taken away against their will by armed men . A number were found dead, dozens are still missing.
Last month there was another wave of kidnappings . Authorities deny any involvement, but victims include Kenyans who have been critical of the government.
State visit inappropriate
It is in this context that many Kenyans see the state visit as inappropriate. “It now seems as if the royal family is approving of all this,” says Nelson Amenya, an economist and prominent critic of the Ruto government, who has spoken out against the visit on his X profile, which has over 180,000 followers, to widespread support .“We take this very seriously,” he said in a Zoom call from the United Kingdom. “This is about people’s lives (…) it looks like they are supporting a murderous regime, a regime that is known to murder its own youth.”
According to Amenya, the royal visit feels particularly bitter because of the International Criminal Court, which is located in The Hague. Ruto was charged by the court in 2012, when he was still vice-president, for his role in mass election violence in 2007-2008. He was acquitted in 2016 due to lack of evidence.
In a written response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also on behalf of the Government Information Service, stated that it is aware of the human rights violations in Kenya, "against which the Netherlands speaks out both publicly and in contacts with Kenyan authorities" and that it sees the visit as an opportunity to "discuss difficult topics such as human rights violations".
More than flowers and tourism
"The royal couple are making a big mistake if they come here while there are still so many unanswered questions," says Francis Gaitho, a football commentator who has been arrested several times for his criticism of Ruto and was briefly taken away by armed men in civilian clothes in October. He has been in hiding since the beginning of this year; he is wanted by the police ."We all understand that the Netherlands and Kenya have an important bond," says Gaitho. "Especially when it comes to things like flowers and tourism. But the king and queen cannot pretend that they are living in a bubble, that they are not getting the news. Life may be easy for them, as royals , but for us, life as long as Ruto is in power is a nightmare."
Kenyans in the Netherlands
Kenyans in the Netherlands also want the state visit to be cancelled. Like Jaya Khamala, who has been living in the Netherlands for seven years and works as an administrative employee in education. "I have already sent several emails to the Government Information Service in the hope that they will listen to me."Khamala is upset that the announcement of the visit states that the royal couple is visiting Kenya because the country is 'playing an increasingly influential role on the world stage'. "The president of Kenya wants them to come to show that he has foreign friends and to polish his image," she says. "The Dutch royal family should not participate in that if they care about human rights."
Khamala is in a WhatsApp group with about a hundred other Kenyans living in the Netherlands. "We will at least try to make ourselves heard as much as possible and also want to offer a petition."
The announcement on X of the state visit by the Dutch embassy in Kenya has also been responded to hundreds of times . For example, Kenyans posted photos of dead demonstrators on the street and wrote "we are not ready for a visit, wait until we have repaired Kenya and then you will receive an invitation".
