{"id":146728,"date":"2026-07-14T09:02:53","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T09:02:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/ruto-leads-kenya-in-mourning-qatars-former-emir-who-shaped-modern-gulf-state\/"},"modified":"2026-07-14T09:02:53","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T09:02:53","slug":"ruto-leads-kenya-in-mourning-qatars-former-emir-who-shaped-modern-gulf-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/ruto-leads-kenya-in-mourning-qatars-former-emir-who-shaped-modern-gulf-state\/","title":{"rendered":"Ruto Leads Kenya in Mourning Qatar\u2019s Former Emir Who Shaped Modern Gulf State"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 14 \u2014 President William Ruto has conveyed Kenya\u2019s condolences to the State of Qatar following the death of Qatar\u2019s former Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, describing him as a visionary leader whose transformative leadership laid the foundation for the country\u2019s rise into a global economic and diplomatic powerhouse.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a message addressed to Qatar\u2019s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, President Ruto said Kenya stood in solidarity with the people of Qatar during their period of national mourning.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is with profound sorrow that I extend my heartfelt condolences following the passing of His Highness the Father Amir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, father of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani,\u201d Ruto said.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn my own behalf, and on behalf of the Government and people of the Republic of Kenya, I convey my deepest sympathies to Your Highness, the Al Thani family, and the Government and people of the State of Qatar.\u201d<\/p>\n

The President hailed Sheikh Hamad as a statesman whose leadership transformed Qatar into one of the world\u2019s wealthiest nations while significantly expanding its diplomatic influence.<\/p>\n

\u201cI join the people of Qatar in mourning the passing of a visionary leader who guided his nation through a remarkable period of progress and prosperity, laying the foundations of modern Qatar,\u201d Ruto said.<\/p>\n

He also prayed for strength and comfort for Qatar\u2019s leadership and citizens.<\/p>\n

\u201cI pray for the eternal repose of his soul, and for strength, comfort, and fortitude for Your Highness and the entire Qatari nation during this time of profound loss.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sheikh Hamad died in Doha on July 12 at the age of 74.<\/p>\n

He served as Emir of Qatar from 1995 until voluntarily abdicating in 2013 in favour of his son, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, marking one of the rare peaceful transfers of power in the Gulf region.<\/p>\n

His 18-year reign fundamentally reshaped Qatar\u2019s economic and geopolitical standing.<\/p>\n

Under his leadership, the country capitalised on its vast natural gas reserves, expanding liquefied natural gas production to become one of the world\u2019s leading LNG exporters and one of the richest countries globally on a per-capita basis.<\/p>\n

Sheikh Hamad also established the Qatar Investment Authority, which grew into one of the world\u2019s largest sovereign wealth funds, investing billions of dollars in strategic assets across Europe, North America and Asia. <\/p>\n

His administration oversaw investments in landmark global companies and infrastructure, cementing Qatar\u2019s role as a major international investor.<\/p>\n

Beyond the economy, he elevated Qatar\u2019s diplomatic profile by founding the Al Jazeera media network in 1996 and positioning Doha as a key venue for international mediation and peace negotiations.<\/p>\n

During his tenure, Qatar hosted major global events, including the 2006 Asian Games, the 2012 United Nations Climate Change Conference, and secured the successful bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup\u2014the first Arab and Muslim nation to stage the tournament.<\/p>\n

Domestically, Sheikh Hamad introduced significant constitutional and governance reforms, including the adoption of Qatar\u2019s first permanent constitution and the holding of municipal elections, changes widely regarded as laying the institutional foundations of the modern Qatari state.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 14 \u2014 President William Ruto has conveyed Kenya\u2019s condolences to the State of Qatar following the death of Qatar\u2019s former Emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, describing him as a visionary leader whose transformative leadership laid the foundation for the country\u2019s rise into a global economic and diplomatic powerhouse. In a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-146728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146728","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146728"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146728\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146728"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}