President Uhuru Kenyatta has joined world leaders in mourning Japan's former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who died on Friday after being shot at a political campaign meeting.
The head of state expressed shock at the former Japanese leader's sudden demise and termed him as a dear friend and development ally of the Kenyan nation.
"It is utter shocking and somewhat unbelievable to learn of the death of my friend, and one of Kenya's foremost development allies, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in a savage shooting incident," Uhuru said.
Former Prime Minister Abe, who retired in 2020, visited Nairobi in 2016 during the 6th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) conference, during which he held bilateral talks with President Kenyatta at State House, Nairobi.
Shinzo succumbed to his wounds after being shot while delivering an election campaign speech in the city of Nara, local media reported.
The NHK broadcaster and the Kyodo news agency reported Abe’s death on Friday, hours after the 67-year-old was shot in the chest and the neck.
