Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta Wednesday held talks with visiting Fisk Johnson, the chairman and CEO of S.C. Johnson & Son Company to seek ways of fighting malaria.
Kenyatta’s office said Johnson, who is the CEO of the multinational manufacturer of household cleaning supplies and consumer chemicals, expressed his company’s interest in partnering with Kenya in the fight against malaria.
It said Johnson shared his company’s intent to resume its purchasing of Kenya’s pyrethrum for the production of chemicals to boost the war against malaria.
S.C. Johnson & Son, which has a branch in Kenya, has been one of the biggest buyers of Kenya’s pyrethrum.
Kenya records an estimated 3.5 million new clinical cases and 10,700 deaths annually from malaria, with children and pregnant women at a higher risk in endemic regions, according to the Ministry of Health.
Kenyatta, who is also the chairman of African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA), said the purchase of Kenya’s pyrethrum by S.C. Johnson & Son will provide a ready market for farmers and increase their income.
He said his government has been keen on the revival of the production of pyrethrum in the country and last year it released 40 million shillings (about 347,100 U.S. dollars) for the purchase of pyrethrum seedlings for farmers to step up production of the crop in 18 high potential counties.
