Kenya on Thursday received a cash grant from China totaling 2 million U.S. dollars to support its Ebola response and drought relief.
NAIROBI, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- Kenya on Thursday received a cash grant from China totaling 2 million U.S. dollars to support its Ebola response and drought relief.
Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Guo Haiyan, National Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo and Public Health Principal Secretary Mary Muthoni attended the handover ceremony at the National Treasury in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, where the two sides signed a handover certificate.
Responding to a request from the Kenyan government, the Chinese government provided a cash grant of 1 million U.S. dollars to boost Ebola virus disease preparedness infrastructure in counties identified as very high-risk and high-risk.
The remaining 1 million U.S. dollars will be used to support the Kenyan government's response to the impact of drought.
Guo emphasized that the latest grant from China embodies the friendly sentiments held by the Chinese government and people toward the government and people of the Republic of Kenya.
The envoy expressed China's continued willingness to strengthen development cooperation with Kenya under the frameworks of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) and the Global Development Initiative (GDI).
For his part, Kiptoo commended China for its prompt response to Kenya's requests and timely provision of financial support that will boost Ebola mitigation efforts and drought relief.
Kenya on Tuesday reported the first imported case of Ebola, a citizen who had lived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) for the past seven years and died of the disease while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Nairobi.
President William Ruto has directed state agencies to intensify surveillance at the ports of entry to mitigate the risk of transmission of the disease.
East Africa's largest economy is also grappling with climate-related shocks including prolonged droughts in the semi-arid counties, and the meteorological department has warned of El Nino rains characterized by floods from October to early next year. ■
