RH Desk, September 15
Climate change will be key to the Kenyan government’s agenda, the country’s newly elected president William Ruto has said while making an ambitious pledge to ramp up clean energy and phase out fossil fuels for electricity by 2030.
Ruto was sworn in as the new Kenya president this week following his narrow election win last month.
“In our country, women and men, young people, farmers, workers, and local communities suffer the consequences of climate emergency,” said Ruto in his inauguration speech at Nairobi’s Moi International Sports Complex.
Stating that “we must act urgently to keep global heating levels below 1.5 Celsius,” Ruto asked people to “end addiction to fossil fuels”.
“Kenya is on a transition to clean energy that will support jobs, local economies, and sustainable industrialization,” Ruto said.
The new President said that Kenya will have a “full and just transition to electricity”, exclusively produced by solar, wind, and geothermal energy, by 2030.
The Kenyan President urged the African countries to join them to harness renewable energy resources.
“We call on all African states to join us in this journey. Africa can lead the world. We have immense potential for renewable energy,” he said. “Reducing costs of renewal energy technologies make this the most viable energy source.”
