Kenyan president pledges to step up fight against malaria in Africa

   NAIROBI, Feb. 10 -- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday vowed to step up efforts against malaria in Africa as he took over the chairmanship of the African Leaders Malaria Alliance (ALMA).
   Kenyatta said he is committed to the objective of ending malaria on the African continent.
   "I am pleased to take over this role as ALMA Chair. Significant gains have been made in the battle against malaria, but progress has slowed in recent years," he said in a statement issued in Nairobi.
   "As we enter the decade to end malaria, I am committed to ensuring that we accelerate progress and end this disease once and for all," Kenyatta wrote in a statement to the African Union.
   Kenyatta, who takes over from King Mswati of Swaziland (Eswatini), will lead the alliance for the next two years.
   The ALMA is a coalition of African heads of state and government advancing advocacy efforts, resource mobilization and accountability in the fight against malaria across the continent.
   Kenyatta skipped the African Union Assembly of Heads of State in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, this week in honor of former Kenyan President Daniel Toroitich arap Moi, whose state funeral service will be held on Tuesday in Nairobi.
   According to official data, Africa accounts for 93 percent of global malaria cases and 94 percent of all malaria deaths. Xinhua