Over 300 bouquets of fresh flowers flown into UK from Kenyan flower growers in show of compassion.
NHS staff in the UK fighting Covid-19 received a surprise gift of flowers recently, thanks to the Kenyan flower industry.
The Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), through its member, Kenya Flower Council, and other flower growers, airlifted more than 300 bouquets of flowers to London, to share compassion amid the coronavirus outbreak, which has now claimed more than 20,000 lives in the UK.
KEPSA’s Chief Executive Officer, Carol Karuga said: “Our member, the Kenya Flower Council, has done this to show empathy and this sends a strong message of partnership at a time when many countries are facing difficulty. It is part of our campaign dubbed ‘Flowers of Hope’ informed by the realities brought forth by how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting world economies.”
The Flowers of Hope Campaign kicked off a month ago as a uniting symbol to show solidarity and compassion emerging in Kenya and indeed the world as a response to the COVID-19.
After a successful distribution in Kenya’s main hospitals in Nairobi and the counties, UK distribution is the first international distribution, an important symbol as London is Kenya’s traditional market for flowers.
“The campaign is a show of gratitude and support to the people at the frontline of or suffering from the pandemic, which will also help in saving thousands of farm jobs in Kenya’s flower farms,” added Carol Karuga.
According to data from Kenya Flower Council, sales of cut flowers in overseas markets are below 35 percent of what we would expect at this time of the year. This is mostly driven by the European and United Kingdom markets whose local sales in florists have declined to almost zero.