President Uhuru Kenyatta has urged the Parliament to draft laws that will promote local innovations to spur the country’s industrialisation process.
Speaking at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) during the 20th anniversary celebrations yesterday, the head of state said that locally developed innovations can boost the economy of the country and at the same time bolster the entrepreneurial capacity of talented youth who will in turn create employment for their compatriots.
“That is what we want to do as a country if we are truly to become an industrialised nation,” he said. “But we will not industrialise if we continue importing second hand vehicles and other goods. Let us make these things ourselves. We have the capacity to do so.”
He said the inception of JKUAT and other institutions at tertiary level was in recognition of the government’s national development aspirations to alleviate poverty and food insecurity through the adoption of appropriate technology. “My government therefore takes great pride in the monumental growth of JKUAT as an institution specializing in agriculture and technology,” he said.
The President congratulated JKUAT for the introduction of new courses in fields of maritime and mining technology in response to the demands of present-day society. As a step towards entrenching the empowerment of youth, women and people with disability, President Kenyatta said the allocation of 30% of government procurement to them must be observed.
The Head of State cautioned Government institutions against giving tenders to companies abroad so as to get a kick-back, saying no one caught in the vice will be spared. President Kenyatta said he was impressed by innovations by JKUAT students and challenged the university to ensure it featured among the 100 best universities in the world in the next ranking of institutions of higher learning. “Count on my government’s support as you endeavour to do that,” President Kenyatta said.
He said the government was committed to promoting youth innovations, saying the country has the capacity to attain high middle-income status faster if it used its human capital properly. “From the innovations of our young people, I am convinced that we have the technological capacity to drive our development agenda,” he said.
The President also called on county governments to partner with universities to make devolution successful. He said outreach programmes like JKUAT’s Community Development Initiative and the in-country training programme that encouraged women at the grass-roots level to adopt technology and innovation were a positive step towards improving the lives of Kenyans. “I wish to acknowledge the elaborate efforts that the University has made with regard to community outreach and service at various levels,” the President said.
Speaking during the occasion, National Assembly Majority Leader Adan Duale supported President Kenyatta’s stand against corruption, hinting that the list of those named by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) in the list present to Parliament yesterday will be made public on Tuesday.
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