Kenya will fully transition to green energy by 2028, President William Ruto has said. Speaking to CNN, Ruto said continued reliance on fossil fuels was no longer tenable.
“I think leaning on fossil fuel is not an option in the face of the reality of what we know is happening to our globe. We need to make difficult decisions, and the rest of the world needs to help Africa make the difficult decisions, work with the just transition of our energy, work with ensuring that we go green,” William Ruto.
During the interview on the sidelines of the COP27 climate summit in Egypt, the President said Kenya currently gets more than 90 per cent of its electricity and 74 per cent of its overall energy from renewable sources.
Kenya has currently been facing one of the worst droughts in decades following four consecutive seasons of rainfall failure blamed on climate change due to global carbon emissions.
Ruto said the government has been providing relief food to 4.3 million people facing starvation, and they are being forced to feed wildlife for the first time in the country’s history, underscoring the level of urgency with which mitigation measures ought to be put in place.
He further added that Kenya has lost 2.2 million heads of livestock this year alone, resulting in losses amounting to KES 1.5 billion dollars.
“I think the fact that we have loss and damage in the agenda is a step in the right direction. More leaders are beginning to appreciate that it’s time for action. And that is why I appreciate, though in a small way, that this cup in Africa has been labelled the implementation code, and I hope that it will be,” President William Ruto.
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