Dialogue any time, but campaign later, President Uhuru Kenyatta says

President Uhuru Kenyatta. is the President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander in Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces

On Friday, I hosted a huge delegation from the Kenya Private Sector Alliance for our quarterly roundtable. For the whole afternoon, we engaged in intensive discourse over a wide range of issues, and received reports on a multiplicity of initiatives aimed at making the business environment more conducive to greater productivity and competitiveness.

At the core of these discussions is a metric that employs parameters, which gauge the ease of doing business in Kenya. Everything we do at the macro and micro-level legislation, policy design and the state of national institutions to the cost of electricity and the time taken to complete formal processes like licensing and other transactions, have a strong bearing on the country’s attractiveness as an investment destination. The way this world works is such that ease of doing business attracts the most sought-after investors. Improving the “doing business” rating, therefore delivers a double dividend. First, strategic, policy and institutional frameworks in place improve to a level that guarantees stakeholder satisfaction and effective, transparent governance. Second, national competitiveness rises to a level that creates more jobs, raises incomes and lowers the cost of goods and services.

So, although the Roundtable involved private sector players and investors, the discussions addressed issues that have an immediate impact on the life of every citizen in this country.

Useful discussions

The highlights of the roundtable included lands, business licensing and security. More than 1.3 million files were restored into the database at the registry. To ensure that files do not “disappear” again, an online file tracking system has been inaugurated. We were assured that the time taken to complete transactions has been reduced from an average of 76 days to 16, and further improvement will be reported at the next Roundtable.

Over at the State Law Office, it was reported that the time it takes to register a business has come down from an average of 32 days to 24 hours. On security, a strategy entailing the intensive use of supportive technology, especially ICT, is being implemented.

These and many other achievements were discussed by stakeholders. Moreover, challenges and deficiencies were also frankly interrogated. This way, a lot of useful input was elicited from diverse stakeholders to enable Government develop and roll out wholesome policies and strategies.

At the same time, the Deputy President William Ruto was occupied at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, engaging 6,000 young Kenyans who were assembled to engage their Government on issues pertinent to them. Opportunities for growth and advancement are urgent in this area, because the youth are doers for whom the present moment presents innumerable opportunities.

The Youth Fund, Youth Access to Government Procurement Opportunities and the Uwezo kitty are foremost in this agenda. We are delivering on our pledges as a Government. We intend to ensure that all young people get on board and use the opportunities at hand to unleash their unique potential and move this country forward.

My presidency received immense support from the young people of Kenya. We want to appreciate this support in a big way. The discussions at Kasarani were part of a continuing discourse with the youth to entrench them in educational, business and professional opportunities, and ensure that their voice is always heard.

I use last Friday to illustrate an important point. Throughout the country, Kenyans are engaged in useful discussions and debates on matters that will improve their lives and transform this country for good. My Government is interested in tapping into this discourse to advance a comprehensive development project with transformational implications. We are engaging every region, community, sector and school of thought to generate a consensus that will meet our expectations, and raise our individual and collective well-being.

In this discourse between multiple stakeholders, every side listens to the other, and each player speaks to another in a multifaceted dialogue aimed at high-quality consensus.

Exchange of ideas

These are the dialogues I support and encourage. These are the dialogues I am committed to pursue as far as I can. I do not tire of the exchange of ideas, the thirst for clarity and the quest for solutions, which characterise this dialogue, and is common to all Kenyans.

There is a time for everything: there is a time to seek a mandate, and there is a time to exercise it. In an open and democratic society, the people’s sovereign mandate is assigned through elections. Political campaigning and mobilisation are the prescribed methods of seeking this mandate. All this happened in the run-up to March 4, 2013.

From the April 9, 2013, my government has been engaged in executing our mandate. We will return to the people for a renewal of this mandate at the appropriate time, and will conduct a robust campaign, which will involve a vigorous prosecution of our manifesto, and an energetic defence of our achievements.

At the moment, heightened political activity is not appropriate. We operate under a constitutional dispensation which has constituted systems and institutions to address every legitimate interest.

I believe that consensus building through sober and strategic dialogue within appropriate frameworks is the best way to ensure that every Kenyan voice is heard, and that no one is left behind. I also believe that our Constitution, which delineates the channels through which the people’s sovereign power flows, has provided ample forums for intensive dialogue on a national scale without the need for constant high-octane confrontation. In any event, without the people’s sovereign mandate, such campaigning whips up expectations – which cannot be fulfilled – to unsustainable levels, and is bound to be counterproductive for all involved.