President William Ruto has shared Kenya’s plight with the world as the country continues to struggle with drought.
In recent times, images of dead wildlife strewn across various game parks in the country has been widely circulated online sparking reactions.
Speaking at the launch of the African Carbon Markets Initiative (ACMI) at COP 27 in Egypt on Monday, November 7, Ruto said the government has spent up to KSh 364 million to feed starving wildlife in Kenyan parks.
“Kenya’s world renown wildlife heritage has not been spared either, and carcases of elephants, Zebras, Wildebeests and many other wildlife fauna litter our parks
“We have had to spend USD 3 million to supply feed and water to wildlife in the last three months,” Ruto said.
The Head of State also noted that Kenyans are not spared from the drought, however, highlighting the government’s efforts to provide relief food.
“As I speak to you, Kenya is in the throes of a harrowing food insecurity caused by two consecutive years of failed rains. Most of the country has been affected, and we have had to provide emergency food relief to 4.3 million citizens to prevent suffering from hunger and starvation
“Kenya, and by extension, the Horn of Africa region, is experiencing the worst drought in the last 40 years. Prevailing trends in global warming signals that even more difficult times lie ahead on account of associated climatic crises,” Ruto added.
In other news, Dida, a Kenyan elephant said to be Africa’s largest tusker has died. It was found dead within the Tsavo National Park where it lived.
In an update on Tuesday, November 1, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officials announced that the elephant died due to old age.
The tusker which was famed for her long tusks was believed to be between 60 and 65 years old – the upper reaches of life expectancy for an elephant living in the wild.
“Tsavo has suffered the loss of a best-loved matriarch and the greatest repository of many decades worth of knowledge,” KWS said in a statement.
KWS noted that Dida was responsible for teaching the herds survival tactics such as leading them to sources of water and pasture.
“Dida was a truly an iconic matriarch of Tsavo and a great repository of many decades worth of knowledge. She shepherd her herd through many seasons and challenging times
“She served as both the subject to various documentaries and an iconic tourist attraction,” KWS said.
