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Galaxy of Kenyans mingle with King Charles, Queen

Galaxy of Kenyans mingle with King Charles, Queen
King Charles III interacts with entrepreneurs during his visit to Nairobi Street Kitchen on Wednesday. PHOTO/John Ochieng

They are the privileged few Kenyans who had a chance of a lifetime to rub shoulders with the Royal couple during their four-day visit to Kenya.


They range from young entrepreneurs who have painstakingly nurtured their start-ups through small-time borrowings, to creatives including artisans, fashion designers, musicians and artistes supported by grants from the British Council.


At Nairobi Street Kitchen for instance, King Charles engaged sous chef, Rhoda Asiyo in a hearty chat as he sampled local food.


The King ordered a saag paneer kathi roll wrap and butter chicken samosa –and joked how the dishes could ‘blow your head off’.


Asiyo later said that they had been told by the palace not to make the dishes ‘too spicy’ for the 74-year-old monarch.


“The King was great, very chilled out. There were less formalities than I thought. I was nervous before knowing he would be eating our food. Indian food is very popular here in Kenya. The King ordered a favourite dish that flies off the shelves,” she was quoted.


King Charles also toured a pop-up exhibition with seven booths showcasing Kenyan creative products, including graphic novels and sustainable fish leather bags.


There, he met Nthenya Mwendwa, owner of The Label Saba, who told him how she had gone on to become the only African designer to have products featuring at the Oscars, Grammys and Emmys, by following a ‘purely sustainable model’.


She said: “The King was very impressed. He said he was always interested in learning from different industries and how we can learn from each other, it was a really great experience meeting him,” Nthenya said.


Same design


The King also had occasion to visit the Nairobi Street Kitchen, in the heart of the Westlands area. The facility boasts a modern street food market experience with global food and drink offerings, and shops selling products made by artisans.


It also hosts live bands and local art.


Here, the King popped into a menswear stall which has been a beneficiary of support from the British Council.


Pointing at a sample of grey and blue checked material, the King exclaimed “Now this looks familiar”, which suggests that he had a suit of almost exactly the same design.


Calling the products “marvellous” and “so well designed”, Charles ordered his equerry to take details of the business to potentially make a personal order.


Sam Jairo, owner of Genteel custom made suits, said: “The King was very taken with one of our designs and in agreement that we are the perfect amalgamation of Kenyan flamboyance and British craftsmanship.

I told the king it would be a pleasure to make him a suit and he seemed very interested.”


117 years old 2nd World War Veteran Corporal Samwel Nthigai Mburia, also had the rare opportunity of meeting the King during a visit to a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery.


The King told the veteran: “You’re amazing. You set us a great example. You must have been living on wild locusts and honey”.


Speaking through his daughter, Idah Kagweni, 54, the veteran said: “I am so happy and proud to be receiving my medals from the King”. Among the medals he received was the Burma Star for his service in the Royal Engineers.


Kagweni said that during the time of the Mau Mau rebellion, some ex-soldiers threw their medals in the sea or they hid them and haven’t been able to find them.


“They were fearful to be found with those medals because of the Mau Mau,” the veteran explained. He claims to be 117, which is said to have been verified by officials.


Replacement medals


The other veterans who were presented with replacement medals were Private John Kavai, Private Kefa Chagira and Private Ezekiel Nyanjom Anyange.


At the Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital, the King visited a backyard garden that has been transformed in just 12 months into a thriving organic holding, producing a wide range of vegetables and herbs. The garden also has a chicken coup and two ponds to raise fish, and snails.


Here, he met Hospital chef Nelly Njagi and handed over a basket of vegetables leaves.


“He asked if this was for the patients and I told him it was. Having this organic food available is very good for their recovery,” said Njagi.


The King was also shown a selection of large African land snails bred by staff at the farm and laughed when told by Gregory Kimani, City Shamba’s founder and chief executive officer, the slime is used by the beauty industry for women’s facial products.


Charles marvelled at the larvae of black soldier flies used to turn vegetable waste into fertiliser, and seemed impressed by the farm’s use of natural pesticides, including rabbit urine, and vertical planting.


Kimani said after the royal visit: “Taking the King around the farm means that our idea is something that can go out there and it can be accepted anywhere by anyone. So we are very much glad for the validation of the idea. Growing our crops organically was a huge thing for him, he really liked the idea of how we are growing things and really taking back control of our own food system.”


Rescue dog


Emma Ngugi, the chair of the Kenyan Society for the Protection and Care of Animals on her part had the rare opportunity of hosting Queen Camilla at the animal sanctuary.


The sanctuary is run by KSPCA in partnership with the equine charity Brooke East Africa. The Queen is president of Brooke.


Ngugi would introduce the queen to the sanctuary’s rescue dog Sifu, who is nicknamed Her Royal Highness.


“I introduced my human colleagues first, because it seems polite. Then I said to the Queen, ‘Protocol dictates that I also have to introduce you to Her Royal Highness, Queen of the KSPCA Sifu’ At that point Sifu obligingly presented for a tummy rub, and the Queen had a little cuddle,” Ngugi was quoted.
While at the sanctuary, Queen Camilla indulged in some early Christmas shopping, only to find out she had run out of cash.


She bought jewellery, a blanket, a basket, hand creams and some cashew butter from a temporary market at the sanctuary.


She started off by using the cash held by an aide to pay Sh4,000 for the sisal basket made by Grace Maina.


“It’s beautiful! I think I should buy one”. the Queen told her.


But by the time she bought a blanket from another stall her aide did not have enough cash to pay fully for it.


For the rest of the Queen’s shopping spree the aide had to go round stall holders getting their details to pay them later.


At one stall run by Shininah Dajom the Queen spotted a jar of cashew butter and said: “That’s one up on peanut butter!”


Dajom was unperturbed when she realised she would have to be paid the Sh3,000 later. “What that means is that the money is in the bank, not in the hand,” she laughed. She added later: “Her Majesty’s credit is very good!”


But she also quickly realised that she had missed a good business opportunity. “Perhaps they should pay me 3,000 sterling pounds,” she joked.


At one point, as aides lugged her wares, the Queen said: “Beautiful things,” before adding: “I’ve got a rather large haul.”


Sam Semat, who ran the jewellery stall, revealed that she had bought three bracelets and one pair of earrings.


“She asked me what materials they are made from,” he said afterwards.


“She also asked what impact it would have on me if she buys. I told her it is good for employment. She said she was doing her Christmas shopping”.

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