On Tuesday, King Charles III and Queen Camilla of the United Kingdom extended a message of comfort and sympathy directly to President William Ruto amidst the ongoing floods plaguing Kenya.
In their message, the monarch emphasized the necessity for global endeavors to confront and adjust to climate change, expressing sorrow over the mounting casualties and disruption of livelihoods.
Highlighting the agreements reached during the King’s previous visit last year, he underscored the urgency for Kenya to implement strategies aimed at alleviating the adverse impacts of climate change.
Quoting a section of his statement, King Charles said, “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.”
The monarch also expressed solidarity with emergency workers and others tirelessly assisting those affected by the calamity. He stressed the growing unpredictability and severity of weather patterns, highlighting the imperative for unified global action to both mitigate and adapt to climate change.
“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.”
Reflecting on their discussions during his State visit to Kenya in October last year, the monarch emphasized the shared responsibility for addressing the challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss, recognizing the profound impact on global quality of life and survival.
“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. 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,” he said.
