President Uhuru Kenyatta’s State of Nation speech yesterday was the last before August polls. Kenyans expect much from the government, which is seeking a second term in office. While not everyone liked it, there are some aspects of his speech that show a commitment towards building a great nation.
Below are five quotes from his speech that make Kenya an optimistic nation.
[dropcap]1[/dropcap] In defense of our motherland, and in fulfilling our international obligations to pursue peace and security, we have lost some of our gallant soldiers….I stand here today to say that these gallant sons and daughters of Kenya have not fallen in vain. Their sacrifice for our freedom and our motherland strengthens our resolve. We remain unbowed; Kenya shall prevail; and our democracy will endure.
[dropcap]2[/dropcap]“One of the proudest achievements on my administration is in delivering honest exams in 2016. This was a first in many years, and it was a blow against corruption. The compromising of the exam system had favoured those who can afford bribes to the disadvantage of honest and hardworking students from disadvantaged homes. It had allowed unqualified students to take university courses that they struggled to master and led to unqualified professionals with a belief in corruption as a personal enabler.”
[dropcap]3[/dropcap]”Today, we have transformed service delivery through the Huduma initiative. We have 45 Huduma centres in 41 counties, providing 66 different government services to over 40,000 Kenyans everyday. Further, through the innovative digital platform E-Citizen, over 3 million Kenyans have successfully paid to access 197 different public services.”
[dropcap]4[/dropcap]“The calling of leadership is to serve. Not to become rich through serving. As politicians, we must accept that our ever-increasing salaries and allowances have contributed to the unsustainable demands by other cadres within the public sector to increase their own remuneration at the expense of our people and the country’s development agenda. …t is therefore upon us as leaders to restore the principle of servant leadership, by respecting the will of the people and supporting the work of the SRC to review the salaries of all public servants to improve the terms of those in lowest cadres.”
[dropcap]5[/dropcap]“As we approach the polls, I wish to remind Kenyans to uphold peace and remain united. Elections are a one-time event but Kenya is larger than all of us and shall, and must remain. Those seeking political office must desist from any utterances that may divide Kenyans along ethnic, religious or other lines. Further, I urge citizens to exercise tolerance before, during and after the elections.”
[dropcap]6[/dropcap]“Do not dishonour the achievement of those who won our freedoms by breaking the unity they established. Go and vote, and then let us return to building the house we have inherited from our fathers.”
FULL SPEECH: STATE OF THE NATION
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