Nairobi, 7 September, 2022 – Greenpeace Africa congratulates William Samoei Ruto of Kenya Kwanza coalition following his election as the 5th president of the Republic of Kenya. Ruto’s presidency comes at a time when drought and famine, lower crop yields and soaring food prices are rife. President Ruto must act swiftly and lower food prices and enact farmer friendly policies and laws that support local farmers to produce enough food for Kenya’s population.
“Kenya’s food system has for a long time been held ransom by capitalists and greedy corporations seeking to make huge profits from the importation of grains such as maize at the detrimental expense of Kenyans. During his campaigns and in the coalition’s manifesto, President Ruto pledged that if elected he will raise the agricultural productivity of key value food chains such as maize and dairy. We urge Mr. President to take all the necessary measures to free our food system from corporate capture and exploitation by big business”, said Greenpeace Africa’s Campaigner, Claire Nasike.
“For Kenyans, the climate crisis is not a distant threat – it is a daily reality that leaves communities faced with devastating consequences. From perennial droughts to floods, loss of livelihoods and access to water, to violent conflicts over dwindling resources. President Ruto must take serious climate action to protect Kenyans from the negative impacts of the climate crisis”, continued Nasike.
“President Ruto’s government has a duty to make sure that Kenya’s people are food secure by providing an environment for agricultural activities to thrive by amending punitive laws that prohibits farmers from sharing indigenous seeds to produce food”, added Nasike.
Agriculture is a key sector in Kenya, employing around 70% of the rural population and 40% of the total population. However, the increase in the cost of food production has led to a decline in employment within the sector. Statistics show that between 2010 and 2020, employment in the agriculture sector declined from 60.3% to 53.8% .
Media Contacts:
Greenpeace Africa Press Desk: [email protected]
Hellen Kahaso Dena,
Communications and Story Manager,
[email protected], +254 717 104 144
Discussion
We have to learn that convenience comes at a huge cost. The plastic bag we put our groceries in today will never degrade and if we make it 400 years that bag will still be here as microplastic or microfibre
Thank you for your comment; Indeed 💯, unfortunately, our fragile planet can not hold so much single-use plastic products and packaging.