Fellow Kenyans,
I am pleased to join you today as we celebrate 50 years since our
beloved country
attained internal self-rule. 50 years ago, we embarked on an important
and
irreversible journey towards full independence when we began to run our
own
internal affairs.
Today, half a century later, we remember and salute the thousands of
Kenyans who
were involved in the struggle against colonialism. We salute the men
and women
who made huge sacrifices so that we could enjoy freedom and liberty
today. We
particularly honor those who paid the ultimate
price in the liberation of our country.
In recognition of the sacrifices borne by our predecessors, every year,
on this date,
we have an opportunity to come together to reflect on what we have done
with our
hard-earned freedom we have an opportunity to dedicate ourselves afresh
to the
patriotism; selflessness and diligence that marked the struggle for
independence;
and an opportunity to renew our commitment to the task of building a
prosperous
nation that is freer, stronger, richer and fairer than the one we
inherited.
Fellow Kenyans,
As we celebrate this year’s Madaraka Day, therefore, we reflect over
the journey we
have travelled over the last 50 years. And it is evident we have made
tremendous
strides over this period. Kenyans now have better access to food,
shelter, education,
health and security services and, indeed, enjoy a better standard of
living than was
possible 50 years ago.
In spite of this progress, much remains to be done. As we celebrate the
past 50
years, therefore, we must now cast our sights over the next 50 years.
We must ask
ourselves critical questions: how do we tackle the challenges we now
face? What
advances will we have made in the next 50 years? What new horizons will
we have
conquered? What kind of country will we bequeath to our children and
future
generations?
I cannot tell the future any more than you; but I know for sure that we
are blessed
with rich natural resources, a strong and growing middle class,
improving
infrastructure, and a well-educated workforce. I am confident that
through our hard
work we can transform our country and take our rightful place among the
free and
prosperous nations of the world.
Fellow Kenyans,
To achieve this vision of a free and prosperous society, our journey
must now gain
momentum; and Kenyans across the country must play their respective
roles in
ensuring that Vision 2030 becomes a reality.
Let me hasten to say that national unity is a key prerequisite for the
realization of
the Kenya that we all desire. Without unity, we shall neither progress
nor stand. As
we indicated in our Manifesto, the Jubilee Government believes in one
Kenya; a
Kenya where every citizen, wherever they live, will have the
opportunity to succeed
and prosper, free of discrimination. I assure Kenyans that uniting our
people is one
of my most passionate goals for our country. I dream of a Kenya where
we will not
only be proud of our diverse heritage and cultures, but also where we
will unite
around our common aspirations as Kenyans.
Our shared aim is to end ethnic tensions and rivalry and to unite all
our citizens. I am
determined to provide leadership towards the attainment of this noble
objective. A
united Kenya has tremendous potential for growth and development.
Indeed, Kenya
is not a collection of 42 tribes who have to live together. Kenya is
one nation,
assembled by divine providence and held together for the last 50 years
by our
common bond and belief in a brighter future for us and our children.
Hand in hand with the agenda of uniting our country, my Government is
determined
to ensure the success of the devolved system of government. Personally,
I believe
the success of devolution will be the success of the Jubilee agenda for
the people of
Kenya. Devolution will not only facilitate the delivery of services and
ensure equity
but will also lead to the emergence of new centers of economic
development.
Through enactment of various legislations, the National Government has
continued
to realign its functions and the process of transfer of functions to
the County
Governments has started. The National Government will continue to give
support to
the county governments through capacity building. I pledge to promote
and the
spirit of cooperation and consultation as provided for in the
Constitution in order to
enhance synergy and cooperation between the two levels of Government
for the
benefit of all Kenyans.
I also assure Kenyans that in the coming days, we will ensure the
conclusion of the
restructuring process of the Provincial Administration as required by
the
Constitution. In this regard, I have directed that Provincial
Commissioners and other
provincial Heads of Department in the former Provinces be redeployed
for other
national duties.
As we roll out the devolved system of government, I call upon governors
and other
leaders at the county level to focus critically on growing county
economies in order
for us to create opportunities and wealth for our people. I also urge
leaders to
enlighten Kenyans that even as we implement devolution, Kenya remains
one
indivisible nation.
Fellow Kenyans,
When I took office about two months ago, I promised that we will
radically change
the way the Government operates so that it is able to deliver efficient
and effective
services to the people. That journey has begun with our restructuring
of
Government ministries and the naming of Cabinet Secretaries. These
secretaries
have been tasked with the responsibility of implementing our
development agenda
across all sectors of our economy. I have full confidence in them and I
call upon
Kenyans to support their efforts.
As an immediate step towards making the transformation of the Public
Service a
reality, I am directing the ministry of Devolution and Planning to move
forward with
the strategy for implementation of integrated service delivery “one
stop shop”
Citizen Service Delivery Centers; initiate modalities for rationalization
of the public
service in order to make it effective and efficient, and, institute
measures and
standards for improved performance management in service delivery.
As I also indicated during my inauguration, the Government will address
those
critical challenges which, if unresolved, will greatly hinder our
development efforts.
In this regard, our most urgent tasks are to grow our economy, ensure
food security,
provide quality education and health services, create jobs for our
young people;
battle insecurity; and firmly crackdown on corruption and impunity.
Improving the economic welfare of our people is our most challenging
task. We have
to create ladders of opportunity that will enable our brothers and
sisters living in
poverty to move to the middle class. To do this, the Government will
work in
partnership with the private sector and our development partners to
reinvigorate
inclusive growth through strategies such as modernizing agriculture,
diversifying
exports, improving infrastructure, sealing leakages in our revenue
collection system
and expanding the tax base.
In addition to these measures, I would like to reiterate that my
Government is keen
on transforming the structure of our economy so as to create
sustainable
employment opportunities to our growing young population. This is
important
because the only sure way to fight poverty is to create wealth and the
best way to do
that is by rapid industrialization.
We are committed to sparking an industrial revolution that will ensure
we are able to
manufacture the necessary tools and equipment for economic activities
as well as to
carry out value addition of our raw materials and primary commodities.
It is for this reason that I formed the Ministry of Industrialization
and Enterprise
Development. This Ministry will be the heartbeat of our industrial
revolution and
export diversification agenda. It will ensure the full implementation
of the Sessional
Paper No. 9 of 2012 on the National Industrialization Policy Framework
for Kenya
(2012-2030) which is aimed at transforming Kenya into a globally
competitive
regional industrial hub in line with Kenya Vision 2030.
The key projects that will drive this process include the development
of integrated
steel mills, development of SME parks; promotion of the One Village,
One Product
program; and productivity improvement for SMEs. It is our conviction
that these
initiatives will play a critical role in
attaining our objective of creating one million jobs per year for the
next five years.
To further increase investments and generate employment opportunities,
we will
continue to strengthen cooperatives to better enable them play the
crucial roles of
mobilizing savings, marketing products and value addition to our
products. The
mobilization of savings is particularly key to the realization of
Vision 2030 in respect
to increasing national savings from the current 17 percent to 30
percent of national
income. I am encouraged that currently, members’ deposits in SACCOs
amount to
approximately Kshs.378 billion. We must strengthen and harness the
potential of
this sector in order to increase the pool of investible resources.
With respect to value addition, we want to see more cooperatives
venture not only
into value addition, but also packaging, branding and marketing of high
quality
products. I call upon cooperatives to emulate the success stories of
co-operatives
such as New KCC which through value addition now produces finished
products
including powdered milk. This is one of the best ways in which we shall
be able to
generate employment and create wealth.
Fellow Kenyans,
To further facilitate the growth of our economy, we will continue to
expand the
generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. Our primary
aim is to bring
down the cost of electricity and at the same time ensure it is reliably
and widely
available. I am aware that a reliance on hydro-generated power makes
our power
supply unreliable, while thermal electricity is costly and pollutes the
environment. In
view of this, my Government will continue to put more emphasis on green
energy
development with a special focus on geothermal and wind.
Regarding infrastructure, we will prioritize road construction and
maintenance in the
next five years under the 2nd Medium Term Plan of Vision 2030 which
spans from
this year to 2017. Among the key projects earmarked for implementation
is the
LAPSSET project comprising of a new road, rail and pipeline network
connecting
Kenya to South Sudan and Ethiopia; the Northern Corridor Transport
project and the
Kenya Transport Sector Support Project which involves the
rehabilitation of targeted
regional and national roads connecting Kenya to her East African
neighbours as well
as enhancing inter-county roads connectivity. We shall also secure
adequate funding
to begin immediate construction of the standard gauge railway line from
Mombasa
to Kisumu.
growth. Security of the individual and of property is embedded in our
Vision 2030 as
one of the foundations for socio-economic transformation. We are,
therefore,
determined to improve security across the country in order to attract
investments,
lower the cost of doing business, and provide Kenyans with a more
secure living and
working environment.
Several parts of our country have suffered incidents of insecurity in
the recent past.
Criminals have taken innocent lives and stolen or damaged property. The
Government has moved fast to stem this rising tide of criminal
activities. We have
deployed more security officers to vulnerable areas and equipped them
to deal with
emerging threats.
My Government has nominated a Cabinet Secretary and sent the name to
Parliament. I wish to request Parliament to expeditiously deal with his
vetting. In
the meantime, my government has taken measures to ensure that there is
no
vacuum in the management of security institutions. I have therefore
directed all
security organs to step-up the operations and to secure the nation.
The ongoing police reforms are also bearing fruit and it is our
intention to ensure
that we have an efficient, well equipped, motivated and responsive
police service
that will serve the nation impartially and deal firmly with criminals.
I call upon the
general public to partner with the police by providing information that
may lead to
the arrest and prosecution of criminals.
To further enhance security, my Government has set aside Kshs. 4
billion for the
procurement of modern security equipment each year for the next five
years. We
have also proposed to allocate Kshs.4.5 billion for enhanced security
operations;
Kshs.1.5 billion for crime research and
investigation; and Kshs. 3 billion for financing the leasing of motor
vehicles and
fuelling them for operations.
I assure all Kenyan that I will not rest until every Kenyan feels safe
and secure. To
the students; teachers and parents in Bungoma, to my fellow citizens in
Mathare, to
Kenyans in Tana-River, and to citizens across the land – we will defend
you and
ensure your safety and freedom.
Fellow Kenyans,
Corruption and impunity are a major hindrance to our progress. For many
years now,
some public servants, business people, professionals, and even average
Kenyans,
have engaged in corruption on such a regular basis that it seems to
have become
acceptable. This must stop. Corruption not only degrades the moral
fabric of our
society but it also causes immense suffering to our people. Most
importantly,
corruption compromises the ability of Government to provide effective
and efficient
services to its people and jeopardizes our nation’s future.
I call upon all Kenyans to join hands in this fight by obeying the law
at all times and
practicing integrity in all your endeavours. This battle will be won
only when we all
do that which is morally right. Let us also report corruption when we
witness it and
hold our leaders accountable in regard to the use of resources.
Fellow Kenyans,
As I conclude, I would like to affirm Kenya’s commitment to regional,
continental and
international cooperation. When we attained our independence, Kenya
embarked on
a foreign policy approach that sought to establish its place as an
active and
responsible member of the international community. Over the years, our
nation has
maintained its place as an acknowledged pillar of peace as well as a
respected leader
in regional development and integration.
In order to build on these achievements, my Government seeks to
implement a more
proactive and innovative approach in pursuing our political and
socio-economic
interests globally. We will be guided by our strategic objectives of
securing and
growing a vibrant modern economy, promoting regional peace and
security, and
enhancing Kenya’s role as a respected regional and global leader.
To this end, appropriate legislative and policy frameworks will be put
in place to
centralize and focus Kenya’s Foreign Service on economic diplomacy and
to facilitate
further engagement of the Kenyan Diaspora in the social, political, and
economic
development of our country.
Finally, ladies and gentlemen, I call upon us all to rededicate
ourselves to the
development of our beloved motherland. Let us also embrace the ideals
of
patriotism, hard work and selflessness that underpinned the struggle
for self-rule;
and as we cast our eyes towards the horizon of possibility and promise,
let us all
believe in ourselves, and let us all have faith that we can make Kenya
a prosperous,
free, and wealthy country.
Thank you and God bless you all.
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