- The President spoke the same day the Kenya Meteorological Department advised Nairobi residents to brace for heavy and very heavy rainfall.
- As of Friday, May 3, Ruto said the heavy rains had led to the death of 210 people.
Image: PCS
President William Ruto has appealed to Kenyans not to dare Mother Nature as the country continues to experience heavy rains almost daily.
In his address to the nation Friday afternoon from State House, Nairobi, the President asked Kenyans to desist from recklessly attempting to cross flooded rivers or drive on waterlogged roads.
“The public is called upon to respect and adhere to safety alerts and interventions and to desist from risking their lives or the lives of others by daring the force of nature,” he said.
The President spoke the same day the Kenya Meteorological Department advised Nairobi residents to brace for heavy and very heavy rainfall and to stay weather aware.
Ruto said the measures the government and other humanitarian agencies are taking to respond to the current crisis of flooding are short-term.
He added that the country is poised to remain in this cyclical crisis for a long time unless it confronts the existential threat of climate change.
“The current unprecedented crisis of floods that our country faces, as well as the recent devastating drought our country faced (the worst in 40 years, after five consecutive failed rainy seasons), is a direct consequence of our failure to protect our environment, resulting in the painful effects of climate change we are witnessing today,” the President said.
“We must therefore remain committed to confronting this existential challenge head-on,” added.
The President said Kenyans must prioritise environmental conservation efforts and implement aggressive reforestation and wetland restoration programmes.
To this end, he urged Kenyans to intensify their response to the government’s forest restoration plan, which aims to grow 15 billion trees nationwide within the next 10 years.
He said this year’s programme on climate action agenda will be made public in the coming days.
The President directed the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry to expedite the implementation of the tree-planting programme in partnership with all ministries, departments, agencies and other stakeholders to provide a whole government programme.
In the meantime, Ruto asked Kenyans to reach out to and help those in need during this trying time in the spirit of Kenyans for Kenya.
“The people of Kenya always stand with one another and work together to overcome adversity. We are called upon once again to join hands in this critical juncture and support each other until this season passes,” the President said.
As of Friday, May 3, Ruto said the heavy rains had led to the deaths of 210 people.
On Thursday, the Interior Ministry said the rains had affected at least 196,296 people; 90 were missing while 125 were nursing injuries.