President Uhuru in Addis for AU summit, to present malaria report

President Uhuru Kenyatta arrives in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on February 5, 2022, for the 35th session of the African Union Heads of State. [Courtesy]

President Uhuru Kenyatta has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the 35th session of the African Union Heads of State.

He will present the continent’s malaria progress report to fellow leaders, the State House said in a statement on Saturday, February 5.

The 2021 World Malaria Report, released by the WHO on December 6, 2021, showed that malaria caused more deaths than ever before – 627,000 in 2020, a significant increase compared to the 409,000 deaths recorded in 2019.

This increase was, in part, due to the revised number of malaria deaths among children under the age of 5, with malaria accounting for 7.8 percent of recorded deaths in 2020, up from the previous 4.8 percent.

The latest report also highlighted that Africa bears a greater burden of malaria than ever before, with 96 percent of global deaths (601,920) from the disease occurring in the African region in 2020.

Apart from presenting the malaria progress report, the President will also do other events during the Kenyatta summit.

“In addition, the presidency of President Kenyatta AU will see the transfer of President Felix Tshisekedi of DR Congo to President Mackie Saul of Senegal,” the State House said on Twitter.

President Tshisekedi, on February 6, 2021, was elected as the President of the Union for 2021, during the 34th Ordinary AU Session held virtually.

He replaces South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who had completed his term as 2020 AU President.

tigre struggle

In a press statement on Wednesday, February 2, President Kenyatta urged rival groups in Ethiopia’s Tigre region to call for a ceasefire that would end a year of conflict.

Thousands have died during the war, reports indicate.

President Kenyatta said civilians in Ethiopia have been denied honor as the heroes continue to fight.

Ethiopia’s National Defense Force and allied militias have been fighting the Tigre People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) since November 2020.

The 35th Ordinary Session is the first meeting of the Heads of State since the COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic in 2020.

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