Kenya to mourn Queen Elizabeth for four days – Uhuru Kenyatta

590

President Uhuru Kenyatta has said Kenya will observe a period of national mourning which started on Friday until sunset on Monday, September 12.

This follows the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday.

He said the flag shall be flown at half-mast at State House and all Kenyan Diplomatic Missions, Public Buildings and Public Grounds, all Military Bases, Posts and Stations, on all Naval Vessels of the Republic of Kenya, and elsewhere throughout the Republic of Kenya.

Uhuru said the national flag shall be flown at half-mast for the same length of time at all High Commissions, Embassies, Consulates, Diplomatic Offices and other facilities of the Republic of Kenya abroad.

He said Her Majesty was a close friend of Kenya and the lifeblood of the Commonwealth.

Her 70-year reign covered the pre-independence era, the granting of self-governance, the Cold War, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and all the other seminal events leading to the present day.

“In all that, as governments rose and fell, new nations were born, and the geopolitical sands shifted back and forth; Queen Elizabeth II remained our one constant and an unshakable rock of dedication to duty, grace, sacrifice, public service, and the commitment to God, Country, and Family,” Uhuru said.

Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday, September 8 at Buckingham Palace.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.

King Charles III is expected to address the nation for the first time as sovereign at 18:00 British Summertime (BST).