SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY HON. UHURU KENYATTA, C.G.H., PRESIDENT AND
COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE DEFENCE FORCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA
DURING THE SWEARING-IN OF CABINET SECRETARIES AT STATE HOUSE GARDENS,
NAIROBI ON 15TH MAY, 2013
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am pleased to preside over your swearing-in as Cabinet Secretaries. I take this opportunity
to congratulate you on your appointment to these important positions.
As you are aware, your responsibilities will entail assisting my Deputy and I in managing the affairs of our country by taking responsibility over the various dockets to which you been appointed.
Kenyans, and indeed the world at large, expect us to provide leadership that will take our country to the next level of development. I urge all of us to commit to meeting the expectations of our people and to serve all Kenyans equally. Having successfully navigated the vetting process and winning the approval of the National Assembly, I am confident that you are equal to the task ahead. I take this opportunity to wish you all the best as you take up your respective responsibilities.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Our new Constitution clearly stipulates the values and principles of the public service. These include:
I, therefore, urge you all to be guided by these principles and a strong sense of personal responsibility to our country. In particular, I urge all of us to strictly uphold the spirit of collective responsibility. Let us work together in the spirit of good faith, mutual trust and confidence. Let me also emphasize that I expect you all to discharge your respective mandates with integrity, courage and utmost professionalism.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As I pledged to Kenyans during my inauguration as the Fourth President of our country, an overriding commitment of my Government will be to address the problems of poor service delivery and inefficient use of public resources. Towards this end, my Government will continuously seek to reengineer public sector management, in order to meet growing public demand for better services. Indeed, the efficiency of the public sector is a critical condition for economic development. In order for us to achieve our goal of national development and improve the living standards of our people, it is critical that we enhance the efficiency of public service institutions. This will require the continued emphasis on performance contracts as a management framework aimed at improving the performance of Ministries and State Corporations.
The implementation of performance contract will, therefore, continue to be a deliberate strategy of turning around the performance of the public service, in order to achieve accelerated economic development and improved standards of living for our people.
As part of the commitment to improving service delivery, we must also ensure maximum accountability and transparency in the management of public funds and resources. With the new constitutional dispensation, initiatives relating to improvement of efficiency and accountability in the public service must reflect the spirit and letter of our new constitution. I wish to remind you that we must set an example by strictly adhering to the law.
We must also bear in mind that under my Government, all oversight mechanisms, including the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and all other institutions responsible for enforcing the law will operate without any undue influence from the government.
You have assumed your respective offices at a critical time in which we are implementing the devolved system of government. We all expect that the well-structured and properly administered counties will be the next source of growth and development for our country. Indeed, we expect the new counties to provide new destinations for investments, uncover new resources and opportunities that can generate wealth and employment, and most importantly, facilitate the distribution of opportunities and prosperity equitably throughout our country.
As Cabinet Secretaries, you will be required to support the implementation of devolved system of government. In this process, we must proceed on the understanding that we now have two tiers of government which are distinct yet mutually interdependent. We must, therefore, respect the space accorded to each level of government by the law. As we implement devolution, let us however remember that Kenya remains one indivisible nation.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As you are all aware, the Kenya Vision 2030 is our long-term development blueprint for the country. It is inspired by our collective aspiration to build a much better society than the one we have today. The overriding aim is to make Kenya a globally competitive and prosperous country with a high quality of life for all Kenyans.
Beyond the implementation of the Vision 2030 flagship projects, the agenda of transforming our country into a middle economy will require tremendous work in infrastructure development, massive developments in energy generation, huge investments in agriculture, deliberate efforts to create a competitive advantage for our country and heavy investments in the social sector, especially in health and education as envisaged in the Jubilee manifesto.
As Cabinet Secretaries you will be expected to provide the strategic leadership that will lead to the realization of Vision 2030 goals as well as the pledges that we have made in the Jubilee manifesto. This will require a great deal of hard work and focus. I am confident that you are equal to this task.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I wish to emphasize that Vision 2030 projects, indeed the overall growth of our economy, will be achieved within the framework of Public Private Partnership. You will be expected, therefore, to further strengthen the policy, legal and institutional framework that has been put in place for Public Private Partnerships. The aim will be to facilitate private sector participation, joint ventures and foreign direct investment in key development projects in the country, including investments in power generation, roads, railways and ports.
In addition to forging strong partnerships with the private sector, we must never lose sight of the ordinary citizens who are the customers or ultimate users and beneficiaries of public services. Our people have a duty to expect good services from public agencies, demand accountability for results from all public officers and report to the necessary offices when services are not forthcoming.
As we seek to be customer-oriented, I also expect all Kenyans to play their role in ensuring that our public service is efficient and accountable. They must in particular demand accountability and effective service delivery. At the same time, I especially appeal to our people to actively seek to fight corruption which has remained a key challenge in service delivery in the country. Above all, I call upon all Kenyans, public servants and ordinary citizens alike, to cultivate a culture of hard work, integrity, innovation and meritocracy. It is only in this way that we shall be able to compete effectively at the global arena with other countries.
As a Government, we are also taking steps to ensure that we step-up security around the country. Those who think that they can shake our national security must know that we will take all necessary steps to enable our people go about their national and individual duties peacefully.
Finally, let me state that the unveiling of a new government is a great opportunity to transform our nation. Let us always bear this in mind as we serve our people. The Kenyan people want to see a positive transformation in their social and economic lives. Let us seize this opportunity and deliver on their expectations.
With these remarks, I once again wish you great success in your new appointments.
Thank you and God bless you all.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As you are aware, your responsibilities will entail assisting my Deputy and I in managing the affairs of our country by taking responsibility over the various dockets to which you been appointed.
Kenyans, and indeed the world at large, expect us to provide leadership that will take our country to the next level of development. I urge all of us to commit to meeting the expectations of our people and to serve all Kenyans equally. Having successfully navigated the vetting process and winning the approval of the National Assembly, I am confident that you are equal to the task ahead. I take this opportunity to wish you all the best as you take up your respective responsibilities.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Our new Constitution clearly stipulates the values and principles of the public service. These include:
- Efficient, effective and economic use of resources;
- Responsive, impartial and equitable provision of services;
- Accountability for administrative acts; and
- Transparency and provision of timely and accurate information to the public.
I, therefore, urge you all to be guided by these principles and a strong sense of personal responsibility to our country. In particular, I urge all of us to strictly uphold the spirit of collective responsibility. Let us work together in the spirit of good faith, mutual trust and confidence. Let me also emphasize that I expect you all to discharge your respective mandates with integrity, courage and utmost professionalism.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As I pledged to Kenyans during my inauguration as the Fourth President of our country, an overriding commitment of my Government will be to address the problems of poor service delivery and inefficient use of public resources. Towards this end, my Government will continuously seek to reengineer public sector management, in order to meet growing public demand for better services. Indeed, the efficiency of the public sector is a critical condition for economic development. In order for us to achieve our goal of national development and improve the living standards of our people, it is critical that we enhance the efficiency of public service institutions. This will require the continued emphasis on performance contracts as a management framework aimed at improving the performance of Ministries and State Corporations.
The implementation of performance contract will, therefore, continue to be a deliberate strategy of turning around the performance of the public service, in order to achieve accelerated economic development and improved standards of living for our people.
As part of the commitment to improving service delivery, we must also ensure maximum accountability and transparency in the management of public funds and resources. With the new constitutional dispensation, initiatives relating to improvement of efficiency and accountability in the public service must reflect the spirit and letter of our new constitution. I wish to remind you that we must set an example by strictly adhering to the law.
We must also bear in mind that under my Government, all oversight mechanisms, including the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and all other institutions responsible for enforcing the law will operate without any undue influence from the government.
You have assumed your respective offices at a critical time in which we are implementing the devolved system of government. We all expect that the well-structured and properly administered counties will be the next source of growth and development for our country. Indeed, we expect the new counties to provide new destinations for investments, uncover new resources and opportunities that can generate wealth and employment, and most importantly, facilitate the distribution of opportunities and prosperity equitably throughout our country.
As Cabinet Secretaries, you will be required to support the implementation of devolved system of government. In this process, we must proceed on the understanding that we now have two tiers of government which are distinct yet mutually interdependent. We must, therefore, respect the space accorded to each level of government by the law. As we implement devolution, let us however remember that Kenya remains one indivisible nation.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As you are all aware, the Kenya Vision 2030 is our long-term development blueprint for the country. It is inspired by our collective aspiration to build a much better society than the one we have today. The overriding aim is to make Kenya a globally competitive and prosperous country with a high quality of life for all Kenyans.
Beyond the implementation of the Vision 2030 flagship projects, the agenda of transforming our country into a middle economy will require tremendous work in infrastructure development, massive developments in energy generation, huge investments in agriculture, deliberate efforts to create a competitive advantage for our country and heavy investments in the social sector, especially in health and education as envisaged in the Jubilee manifesto.
As Cabinet Secretaries you will be expected to provide the strategic leadership that will lead to the realization of Vision 2030 goals as well as the pledges that we have made in the Jubilee manifesto. This will require a great deal of hard work and focus. I am confident that you are equal to this task.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I wish to emphasize that Vision 2030 projects, indeed the overall growth of our economy, will be achieved within the framework of Public Private Partnership. You will be expected, therefore, to further strengthen the policy, legal and institutional framework that has been put in place for Public Private Partnerships. The aim will be to facilitate private sector participation, joint ventures and foreign direct investment in key development projects in the country, including investments in power generation, roads, railways and ports.
In addition to forging strong partnerships with the private sector, we must never lose sight of the ordinary citizens who are the customers or ultimate users and beneficiaries of public services. Our people have a duty to expect good services from public agencies, demand accountability for results from all public officers and report to the necessary offices when services are not forthcoming.
As we seek to be customer-oriented, I also expect all Kenyans to play their role in ensuring that our public service is efficient and accountable. They must in particular demand accountability and effective service delivery. At the same time, I especially appeal to our people to actively seek to fight corruption which has remained a key challenge in service delivery in the country. Above all, I call upon all Kenyans, public servants and ordinary citizens alike, to cultivate a culture of hard work, integrity, innovation and meritocracy. It is only in this way that we shall be able to compete effectively at the global arena with other countries.
As a Government, we are also taking steps to ensure that we step-up security around the country. Those who think that they can shake our national security must know that we will take all necessary steps to enable our people go about their national and individual duties peacefully.
Finally, let me state that the unveiling of a new government is a great opportunity to transform our nation. Let us always bear this in mind as we serve our people. The Kenyan people want to see a positive transformation in their social and economic lives. Let us seize this opportunity and deliver on their expectations.
With these remarks, I once again wish you great success in your new appointments.
Thank you and God bless you all.
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