Friday declared public holiday to remember victims of climate crisis
By Mary Wambui |
President William Ruto has urged Kenyans to use the day for activities that will improve the country's environment.
The Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry has gazetted May 10, as a holiday to remember Kenyans adversely affected by the ravages of climate change.
President William Ruto has urged Kenyans to use the day for activities that will improve the country's environment.
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The declaration came after weeks of pain—the death of at least 238 Kenyans as of May 7, as well as massive displacement and property destruction—following heavy downpours and flooding in the March-May long rain season.
The Interior ministry also says that 174 people have been reported injured, 75 missing, and 235,000 displaced. Of those whose homes were destroyed, 70,451 are being hosted in 167 camps set up in 22 counties across the country.
A man pulls fabric after heavy flash floods wiped out several homes following heavy rains in the Kamuchiri Village of Mai Mahiu, Nakuru County, on April 30, 2024. (Photo: John Muchucha/Reuters)
Speaking while appearing before the Senate on Wednesday, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki said the impact of the climate change crisis has altered the order of national security priorities, assuming a very crucial ranking amongst top priorities.
"Kenya is paying a huge price for an environmental crisis that we have nothing to do with. It is the pollution and degradation of the environment, mainly by the big polluters of the world, that is responsible for the devastation that we are undergoing," he said.
"The people we have lost in the last month are almost 80 per cent of all the people we have lost to terrorism in the last 10 years."
Kindiki also defended the mandatory evacuation orders issued to persons living downstream, saying the goal is to save lives.
He further noted that Kenya is paying a high price because of years of deforestation and that climate change is now one of the five key national security threats, alongside terrorism; banditry and livestock rustling; cultural and religious extremism; and the manufacture, sale, and abuse of illicit alcohol and narcotic drugs.
At the same time, the Ministry of Defence announced plans to plant 2.8 million trees in Nakuru and Isiolo counties in light of the government's commitment to environmental conservation.
"As climate change poses significant challenges, planting trees becomes a crucial step in mitigating its effects. The KDF's initiative not only strengthens the environment but also promotes community involvement and resilience," Duale said after receiving an update on the ongoing tree-growing strategy by the Kenya Defence Forces.
In December 2022, President Ruto launched a tree cover restoration initiative seeking to plant 15 billion trees by 2032, a move aimed at reducing greenhouse emissions, stopping and reversing deforestation, and restoring 5.1 million hectares of deforested and degraded landscapes, through the African Landscape Restoration Initiative.
Since then, he and First Lady Rachael Ruto have participated in multiple tree-planting programmes in several parts of the country, including Makueni, Kajiado, and Elgeyo Marakwet counties.
"Climate change is a reality we can no longer wish away," the head of state said last November.
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