Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has joined fellow world leaders in mourning Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Abe died on Friday, July 8, 2022, after being shot at a political campaign meeting.
The Kenyan President 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 ally, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in a savage shooting incident,” President Kenyatta mourned.
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 Abe died in hospital while receiving treatment.
BBC reports that the former Japan’s PM was shot at twice while he was giving a speech in the southern city of Nara on Friday morning.
Following the incident, security officials at the scene tackled a 41-year-old gunman believed to have been behind the shooting.
He was arrested and he is now in police custody.
A local Japanese media reports that a search of the alleged gunman’s home uncovered what police believe are explosives.
“It is barbaric and malicious and it cannot be tolerated,” Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said after reports of the incident emerged.
“This attack is an act of brutality that happened during the elections – the very foundation of our democracy – and is absolutely unforgivable,” Kishida added.
Doctors told a news conference at Nara Medical University Hospital that Abe had sustained two bullet wounds to his neck, about 5cm (1inch) apart, and also suffered damage to his heart.
The former Japan Prime minister was said to be conscious and responsive in the minutes after the attack, but his condition deteriorated.
He died aged 67 years old.
