The King and Queen squeezed into an electric tuk-tuk as they braved torrential rain to carry out their final engagements in Mombasa before boarding the plane for home.
The couple posed in the eco-friendly electric vehicle outside Fort Jesus, a Unesco World Heritage Site, gamely hopping inside after the seats were carefully wiped down for them.
“Maybe we can use this to get to the airport,” joked the King.
Told that the vehicle can reach speeds of up to 60kph, the couple looked impressed with its green credentials and giggled as their driver, Eunice Karanja, accidentally started the engine.
Inside the fort, the couple used umbrellas in a futile attempt to keep dry, the Queen, in a Fiona Clare dress, shrugging her shoulders and smiling at the chaos.
Earlier, the King had visited Mombasa Memorial Cathedral to hear about the work being done to promote interfaith peace and security on the Kenyan coast. Next was a visit to the Mandhry Mosque, the oldest in east Africa, where he met with shouts of “Long live the King!”, as he arrived.
The rains had delayed his arrival, and shortened his visit to just five minutes. He was met by Sheikh Ali Said Al-Mandhry, the mosque’s committee chairman, who said afterwards: “We talked about how to help the children and improve things for their future.”
Meanwhile, the Queen met charity staff, volunteers and survivors of sexual and gender-based violence at the Situation Room, an organisaton with 8,500 members.
The Queen had earlier heard that 40 per cent of Kenyan women suffer abuse in their lifetime.
She was welcomed by singing and dancing from volunteers and staff from Sauti Ya Wanawake – Pwani (The Voice of Women). The Queen moved in time to the music as the women held her hands up in the air, chanting traditional African songs.
Beldine Otieno, from Sauti Ya Wanawake, said: “We were singing about women having responsibility for the family. She is very nice, lovely. I didn’t know she could dance like that. We felt she is warm. She is a credit to women, after meeting new people.”
