King Charles III and Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom on Tuesday, May 7, sent a message of comfort and sympathy to President William Ruto amid the ongoing floods experienced across the country....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
In a statement, the King expressed sorrow over the rise in fatalities and disruption of livelihoods caused by the effects of climate change.
King Charles acknowledged the government’s efforts in mitigating the situation and called for extra support to be accorded to Kenya.
“Mr. President, it was with great concern that my wife and I learnt recently of the terrible flooding that has ravaged Kenya and the region, and which continues to impact so many of your people. We can only begin to imagine the anguish of those who have lost loved ones and seen their livelihoods devastated,” he noted.
“Our thoughts are also with those emergency workers and others who are working long hours to support those who have been so dreadfully affected.”
“The increased unpredictability and violence of weather systems remind us of how utterly vital it is that the world act together and with all despatch to mitigate and adapt to climate change.
While having fond memories of his visit to Kenya, the king noted how vital the world needs to unite to mitigate such effects.
The King and his wife made a state visit to Kenya from October 31, 2023, to November 3, 2023, and were hosted by President Ruto.
“As we discussed during our visit to Kenya last year, the challenge of climate change and biodiversity loss falls to all of us to address: at stake is our very quality of life and survival as a world,” he added.
“Remembering with great fondness the welcome we received on my visit last year, and the friendship between our two countries we wanted to send our deepest sympathy and affection to the people of Kenya.
The ongoing heavy rains have disrupted normal day-to-day activities, affected people’s sources of income and resulted in loss of lives.
According to the Interior Ministry, the death toll stood at 229, 174 injuries and at least 234,685 people have been displaced as of May 6, 2024.
To mitigate the crisis, the government set up 167 camps in 22 counties and hosted 70,451 Kenyans. Further, a 24-hour evacuation notice was issued to people residing in areas near dams and water reservoirs..CONTINUE READING>>
