PRESIDENT UHURU KENYATA
SPEECH BY
H.E. HON. UHURU KENYATTA, C.G.H., PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF
THE DEFENCE FORCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA DURING HIS INAUGURATION AND
SWEARING-IN CEREMONY ON TUESDAY, 9TH APRIL 2013 AT THE MOI INTERNATIONAL
SPORTS COMPLEX, NAIROBI.
o Your Excellency Hon.Mwai Kibaki, C.G.H., M.P.;
o Your Excellency Daniel arap Moi;
o Your Excellencies, Visiting Heads of State & Government;
o Chief Justice Willy Mutunga;
o All our Invited Guests;
o Fellow Kenyans,
Let me
begin by thanking all Heads of State present and the representatives of
Heads of State for choosing to be here as a symbol of your continued
support and goodwill towards Kenyans.
I
particularly note, with gratitude, the large presence of our brothers
and sisters from across the continent. This is a clear indication of
your commitment to the Pan-African agenda. You have bestowed a great
honor on me and our country by being here. On behalf of the Kenyan
people I welcome all of you to Kenya. Karibuni Sana!Let me also
acknowledge with gratitude and respect the distinguished service of my
predecessors. President Mwai Kibaki, a true statesman and a great leader
who over the past 10 years has laid a firm foundation for the future
prosperity of our country. Asante sana Mzee. Shukrani nyingi sana.
I pay
tribute also to former President Moi who is with us today and thank him
for his years of leadership and dedication to our nation. Asante Mzee!
With humility and
respect, I acknowledge and pay tribute to the memory of my father, the
late founding father of our nation, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta. May he and his
fellow architects of liberation in Kenya and Africa as a whole rest in
peace with the knowledge that this generation is committed to fulfilling
their dreams of for our nation and our continent.
I would like to
thank all my worthy opponents in the recently completed presidential
election. Every one of you helped define and make stronger our
democracy. Because of you, Kenyans had real choices. Because of you,
Kenyans felt free to exercise their sovereign will. Thank you all.
In an open and free
democracy, there is a vital role for a vibrant opposition that helps to
hold the Government to account. Kenya is such a democracy, and as
President I will respect that role just as I will champion the right of
every Kenyan to speak their mind free of fear of reprisal or
condemnation.
Fellow Kenyans,
Our nation has now
successfully navigated the most complex general election in our history.
Our journey began three years ago, with the promulgation of a new
constitution, and ended eleven days ago, with a landmark Supreme Court
decision. Ours has been an unusual story. An unconventional path. We
have been praised and criticized in turn – depending on who was telling
our story. Yet while some watched the unfolding national events with
skepticism, resigned to what they believed was the inevitability of
chaos, others, the vast majority, looked upon our nation with a tempered
hope; cheering us on not only because they believed in us but because
they knew that if Kenya succeeded they too would succeed. For all that
has been said of our nation, the records of history will attest to a
number of undeniable facts.
They will outline
the long queues we made, the long hours we waited to vote and the
historic voter turnout of these elections. They will detail the
decisions that the Kenyan media made – the professionalism and
responsibility with which they acted. They will remind us of the fact
that we embarked on a feat that few other countries have attempted,
holding six elections simultaneously. They will call our attention to
the fact that the youth were meaningfully engaged in the entire
electoral period and that the political consciousness of Kenyans was at
an all time high. They will list and honor the individuals, institutions
and service organizations that played a strong role in this defining
chapter of our nation’s history. They will contrast our accomplishments,
with the fact that Kenya ventured into multi-party politics only 20
years ago further strengthening and entrenching our democracy. When the
records remind us of these truths, we will recognize that at the end of
the day, it is the indomitable spirit of the Kenyan people; their
commitment to peace; their desire for progress and their respect for the
rule of law – that was the true headline of this election story.
Where systems
failed, Kenyans did not. Where decisions were delayed and ambiguity
prevailed, Kenyans were patient – seeking and waiting for clarity. Where
contentious issues arose to stir up dissent, Kenyans exercised
restraint; peacefully sought redress and submitted themselves again to
the constitution and the rule of law – united in the belief that God’s
judgment would guide that of men.
Today, I am humbled
and honouredhonoured to accept the mantle of leadership that the people
of Kenya have bestowed on me. I will lead all Kenyans – those who voted
for me – and those who voted for our competitors – towards a national
prosperity that is firmly rooted in a rich and abiding peace in which
unity can ultimately be realized. Peace is not simply about the absence
of violence. It is defined by the presence of fundamental liberties and
the prevalence of economic opportunities. We will not settle for a
perfunctory peace that is disrupted every five years by an election
cycle. Rather, we are calling and working towards a permanent peace,
through which democracy is glorified rather than undermined. A peace
that fosters unity.
Indeed, national
unity will only be possible if we deal decisively with some of the
issues that continue to hinder our progress. It will come through job
creation. It will be founded on economic growth. It will be strengthened
by a globally competitive education system: by the building of more
schools across the nation and by ensuring that we have well thought out
curricula that prepares our children for the challenges and
opportunities of the 21st century. It will be upheld when all citizens
are able to access affordable healthcare and protect themselves, and
their children, from preventable diseases that still wage war on our
populace.
It will be
strengthened through the promotion of public-private partnerships and
through the creation of a friendly and enabling environment for
business. It will be reflected in our men and women working side by side
as equals to move our country forward. It will be realized when we
become a food-secure nation by investing in and modernizing the
agricultural sector by equipping it with the relevant information and
technology that it needs to grow. It will be confirmed when the rights
of all citizens are protected through legislation that upholds the
spirit of our constitution. When women and young people are both seen
and heard at the decision-making table, at national as well as devolved
levels of government. When all communities in Kenya are confident that
they have a Government that listens to and addresses their needs.
Achieving peace and strengthening unity will be the goal of my Government.
This work begins now. We welcome all Kenyans to hold us to account.
Within the first
one hundred days – we will ensure that maternity fees are abolished and
that all citizens of Kenya are able to access government dispensaries
and health centers free of charge. Within the first one hundred days, we
will develop a framework to direct the 6 billion Kenya Shillings
previously allocated for the election run-off towards establishing a new
Youth and Women Fund that will be open to the youth and women from
every part of this country. Within the first one hundred days, we will
put measures in place to ensure that all students, joining class one
next year, within the public school system receive a laptop. We made a
promise to our children and we will keep it because we believe that
early exposure to technology will inspire future innovation and be a
catalyst for growth and prosperity.
Fellow Kenyans,
My government will
immediately begin the process of supporting devolution and enabling
county leadership to carry out their constitutional mandate and fulfill
the pledges they made to the Kenyan people. Let us all be clear –
supporting devolution is not a choice, as some claim it to be – it is a
duty. A constitutional duty. One that I have sworn to uphold. Our
constitution does not suggest devolution, it demands it. I urge all
Kenyans to be persistent, pragmatic, patient and non-partisan, as we
pursue the promise of devolved governance.
Fellow Kenyans,
Dealing with
unemployment will be a priority for my government. We are committed to
creating jobs and opportunities for our people – especially our young
people. We will do this, by creating an enabling environment for the
private sector. We will harness the gifts and talents of our youth, in
order to enable sports and entertainment providers earn a profitable
livelihood and make Kenya a global leader in these areas. We will make
the procurement process faster, more accessible, and transparent. We
will simplify the process of starting and running a business ,business,
in order to make it friendly and cost-effective to do business in Kenya.
We will expand electricity generation, extend the transmission network
and ensure that electricity supply is more consistent and reliable. We
will build on the accomplishments of the last administration in
infrastructure, by increasing accessibility through roads and rail
networks, as well as increasing digital connectivity. To the private
sector, my promise to you is that we will create an enabling
environment, so that you can play your part in creating employment and
fostering economic growth.
Fellow Kenyans,
For too long our
nation has exported jobs that should rightly belong to our citizens. We
have focused on exporting primary products, instead of promoting value
addition and manufacturing finished goods thereby creating jobs and
improving our standard of living. Today, I pledge, that my
administration will work towards diversifying our economic base. We will
support the manufacturing industry and support all enterprises, both
local and international, that strive to create finished goods using
local labour and materials. I also pledge, that this Government, as the
largest buyer of goods and services will take the lead in supporting
local industry, by buying Kenyan first.
I have consulted
with Parliament and on the 16th of April, I will address both Houses and
announce a detailed government program and legislative agenda.
Fellow Kenyans,
One of the biggest
challenges to national unity is the feeling of exclusion in the decision
making process, hence our desire and need for devolution. That
notwithstanding, my commitment to Kenya is that our national Government
shall and will reflect the true face of Kenya, with the clear
understanding that as we bring decision making and services closer to
the people, the integrity and solidarity that binds us as citizens of
one nation, must not only remain, but must be strengthened.
I am equally
committed to ensuring that interests of women and the interests of young
people are represented in my government. A department in my office will
be dedicated to ensuring that the interests of these groups not only
inform every decision I make as President, but also those of every
department and government ministry. Our doors will always be open. We
will never turn a deaf ear to the needs of any person or group.
We will leave no community behind.
Fellow Kenyans
To achieve these
goals and to achieve Vision 2030, we must be responsible stewards of our
natural resources. In light of this – my commitment and the commitment
of the Government will be to support the National Land Commission as
they seek to provide the land answer. My government will strive to work
with all actors to ensure that the issue of land will never again be a
contentious or a divisive subject but rather that land will be seen as
what it truly is, a factor of production.
I also promise that
we will exploit our natural resources in a way that benefits the
current generation while safeguarding the interests of generations to
come. I want to assure all Kenyans that we shall use all the money that
comes from natural resources for development programs.
Fellow Kenyans
We will ensure that
the harmony we are striving for extends to the environment. It is our
heritage. It is our duty as guardians and custodians of that heritage to
protect it for future generations. Indeed, my government will strike a
decisive blow against all those that threaten it. My fellow Kenyans,
poaching and the destruction of our environment has no future in this
country. The responsibility to protect our environment belongs not just
to the Government, but to each and every one of us. We will do all this,
and more. Where there is uncertainty, we will revive confidence in the
government’s ability to protect its citizens. Where there is
disillusionment – we will restore hope. Where there is opportunity
denied – we will open new frontiers, and through our actions, we will
renew our faith in government as an instrument of good.
Let me reiterate
that even as we work together to promote inclusion, open new frontiers
and create new opportunities, we will not tolerate those who continue to
threaten the peace and security of our citizens. Criminals, cattle
rustlers, drug barons and agents of terror, who disrupt the peace of our
society, will be met with the full force of the law and the strength of
Kenya’s Security Forces. On this matter, we are resolute.
To our men and women in uniform, I say, this nation is indebted to you.
You continue to lay
down your lives in service, protecting Kenyans from threats both
external and internal. My government will continue to work with you and
do all that is in its power to support you as you continue in your noble
duty.
To our sister
countries in the region – we understand that our future is joined to
yours. Our peace is linked to the security and stability of the region.
We deployed our armed forces to Somalia because terrorism and piracy
affects all of us. Indeed in the last two decades, Kenya has invested
immense diplomatic energy and resources in the quest for a stable
Somalia. Our commitment to fight terrorism and eradicate piracy will
remain a central pillar of my government’s policy on peace and security.
As President, I
will work with the international community to strengthen its support for
IGAD and the AU peace process in Somalia because a stable and
prosperous Somalia is in the interest of all nations.
My fellow Kenyans
The future of Kenya
depends not only on our National Unity but also on deepening our bonds
with our brothers and sisters in East Africa and Africa as a whole. It
is with this unity that we will prosper and truly deliver on the promise
of independence and liberation from our colonial past. My
administration is therefore committed to regional trade and cooperation
and will continue to strengthen ties through the free movement of
people, goods and investment, including the removal of tariff and
non-tariff barriers to trade within the EAC. My goal is to see the
continued growth of our community towards ultimate integration.
As Kenya celebrates
its Jubilee year of freedom and independence, Africa too marks slightly
over 50 years since the fall of colonialism. The breakaway from
colonialism has not been easy. Indeed it has been fraught with great
challenges and setbacks. Without fail however, the trajectory of our
recent history, in Kenya as in Africa, has been one of great hope,
renewed progress and palpable determination. Africa, Ladies and
Gentlemen, is on the rise. Kenya sees herself as an integral part of
this exciting awakening. The great renaissance spoken of a mere 20 years
ago is upon us. Across the continent evidence of renewal and growth is
everywhere, built on the bedrock of rising self-confidence, a growing
educated, youthful population and God given abundance of natural wealth
and resources.
To the Nations of
Africa and The African Union – we assure you that in Kenya, you will
continue to have a partner and an ally. If we stand together in
solidarity I am confident that we will find the strength to thrive and
innovate solutions that work for us. Of course, we join you in
continuing to insist on relating with all nations as equals – not
juniors.
As partners, not
subordinates. In our history as nations, we have seen some of the most
ardent promoters of ideals of national sovereignty and democracy
sometimes fail to live by the principles they espouse, but let us
remember that their failure does not justify ours.
To the nations of
the world – we acknowledge that in this age of globalization, all of us
are interdependent. Our economies are interconnected as indeed are our
people. I pledge to continue cultivating the relationships we have had
with our traditional trade partners and I say to all developing and
developed nations who desire a deeper and more mutually beneficial
relationship with Kenya: we are ready for partnerships, we are open for
business and we invite you to invest in our country. I also want to
remind the International Community that for the last fifty years, Kenya
has been one of the most engaged members and one of the most prolific
co-authors of international treaties and instruments.
I assure you again
that under my leadership, Kenya will strive to uphold our international
obligations, so long as these are founded on the well-established
principles of mutual respect and reciprocity.
Central to our
continued contribution to the international community, will be the
understanding that the world is made up of many countries, cultures,
political experiences and world-views. We must remember that no one
country or group of countries should have control or monopoly on
international institutions or the interpretation of international
treaties. While each state has a right to its own view, it must respect
the fact that it holds just one view amongst many in the community of
nations.
Fellow Kenyans,
Today, work begins.
The time has come, not to ask what community we come from but rather
what dreams we share. The time has come not to ask what political party
we belong to but rather what partnerships we can build.
The time has come
to ask, not who we voted for, but what future we are devoted to. Fellow
Kenyans we must move forward together. Let us remember that although we
are may not be bound together by ethnicity, or cultural practices or
religious conviction – our kinship rests solidly upon the fact that we
have all been adopted by Kenya’s borders; we are all children of this
nation, we are all bound to one constitution which calls us to rise
above our individual ideologies and march to our national anthem.
That anthem reminds
us of the fundamental principles upon which our prosperity must be
built. It calls us to reflect on the power of peace; to recall the
supreme value of freedom; to believe, once more, in the beauty of
service and brotherhood; to aspire each day, to the dignity that results
from hard work, and to contend for the hope that justice brings.
Brothers and
sisters; Fellow Kenyans – let us move forward, together, in the spirit
of our anthem and in the spirit of our constitution being confident that
if we turn neither to the left nor to the right of our national values,
we, as a people, will see the promised land of prosperity that our
forbearers set out for.
God bless you, God bless the Republic of Kenya and God bless Africa.
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