By Patricia Mollyne Mataga
King Charles III on Tuesday, May 7, 2024, sent a message of comfort to Kenyans following the ongoing flood situation in the country.
The floods have been caused by the heavy downpours being witnessed in the country.
In a message shared by the United Kingdom Embassy in Kenya, on its X handle, formerly Twitter, the King and Queen Consort Camilla expressed their sympathy about the disaster. This is even as they remembered their visit to Kenya in 2023.
According to the statement, the King and Queen had learnt of the flooding and how it had ravaged different parts of the country.
They noted that they were concerned with the situation which has negatively impacted Kenyans.
“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,” read part of the message.
In addition, the King and Queen acknowledged the emergency workers and other persons who were working long hours to support those who had been so dreadfully affected.
They noted with sympathy that they could only begin to imagine the anguish of those who have lost loved ones and seen their livelihoods devastated.
“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,” noted the King and Queen in the statement.
Official data from the government show that at least 238 people have died so far from the floods while 75 others are still missing.
174 people have been reported injured.
In addition, data from the Ministry of Interior noted that 47,000 households have been displaced nationally affecting approximately 235,000 people.