President William Ruto on Monday, September 4, presided over the opening of the inaugural African Climate Summit at KICC in Nairobi.
The summit which hosted over 30 Heads of State marked a career milestone for President Ruto for his ardent support for climate change.
However, his climate activism and boldness on the need for the entrenchment of environmental management issues at the core of nations’ building dates back to his university days.
In 2018, Ruto, who was then serving as Deputy President of the Jubilee government, defended his thesis on the Influence of Anthropogenic Activities on Land Use/Cover Changes and Environmental Quality of Saiwa Wetland Watershed, Western Kenya.
Photo/ PSC
The study focused on the Saiwa Swamp watershed in western Kenya which has mixed farming and one of the smallest conservation areas, the Saiwa Swamp National Park.
“There is hence need to strengthen law enforcement on physical planning in order to reduce encroachment of natural areas such as forests and riparian zones. The study also recommends further assessment and monitoring of spatial and temporal-based land use-land cover changes in Kenya,” the thesis abstract read in part.
After successfully defending it, Ruto was conferred with a doctorate in Philosophy in Plant Ecology at the University of Nairobi.
Before getting his PhD, Ruto had graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Botany and Zoology and a master’s in Plant Ecology.
In 2022, Ruto was elected President taking over the instruments of power from Uhuru Kenyatta. His first agenda was climate change and focusing on agriculture to spur the economy.
The Head of State chaired a high-level meeting at the conference Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC) responsible for coordinating Africa’s common position on climate change during his trip to the 77th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
He capitalized on the opportunity to challenge global leaders on the need to change financing models and adopt ways to protect African resources.
While opening the ministerial conference on the first day of the Africa Climate Summit in Nairobi, Ruto challenged African leaders to ideate solutions to help navigate the effects of climate change and monetize resources.
“We are not here to catalogue grievances and list problems. We are here to scrutinize ideas, assess perspectives, and unlock solutions. The very format of this Summit has been designed to facilitate such engagements,” Ruto stated.
