US President Barack Obama (left), his wife Michelle (right) and Prof Wangari Maathai (centre) at Uhuru Park, Nairobi during his visit to Kenya in August 2006. Mr Obama, who was the then Illinois Senator, visited Kenya as part of a tightly scripted four-country tour in Africa to raise awareness for AIDS and to reconnect with his roots. Photo/FILE
Posted Monday, September 26 2011 at 21:57
WASHINGTON, Monday
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US President Barack Obama extended condolences on Monday to Kenyans for the death of Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize for her struggle against environmental degradation.
Obama said he had learned of her death on Sunday in Nairobi "with great sadness."
"On behalf of all Americans, Michelle and I send our deepest condolences to Professor Maathai's family and the people of Kenya at this difficult time," the president, whose father was Kenyan, said in a statement.
"The world mourns with you and celebrates the extraordinary life of this remarkable woman who devoted her life to peacefully protecting what she called 'our common home and future,'" he said.
Leader of the Green Belt Movement, Maathai won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her work of reforestation in Kenya. Her group planted some 40 million trees across Africa.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised Maathai as "a tireless advocate for the environment, for women and for all those in the developing world who are unable to realize their potential."
"Her death has left a gaping hole among the ranks of women leaders, but she leaves behind a solid foundation for others to build on," she said.
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