Thursday, 4th April, 2019

Your Excellency, Hon. Uhuru

Your Excellency, Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces, Rt. Hon. Speaker of the Senate, Sen. Kenneth Lusaka, Hon. Members of Parliament, Article 132 (1) of the Constitution of Kenya requires the President to address the nation once every year and at any other time.

In this regard, pursuant to Article 132 (1) (b) and (c) (i) and (ii) of the Constitution and the provisions of Standing Order No.22 of the National Assembly Standing Orders, by Gazette Notice No. 2920 which was published in the Kenya Gazette on 26th March, 2019, I gave notice of this Special Sitting to the Members of the National Assembly.

Accordingly, Hon. Members, this Special Sitting is properly convened.

the African Union High Representative for Infrastructure Development in Africa, the Rt. Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga; the former Vice-Presidents of the Republic of Kenya, Hon. (Dr.) Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka and Hon. Wycliffe Musalia Mudavadi; the Governor of Nairobi City County,

Rt. Hon. Francis Xavier ole Kaparo and Rt. Hon. David Ekwee Ethuro. They are all welcome to Parliament during this momentous occasion of the Address by His Excellency the President.

The Hon. Speaker of the National Assembly, the Hon. Speaker of the Senate, Hon. Members of Parliament, fellow Kenyans, in accordance with Article 132 of the Constitution, I am honoured to report to Parliament the measures taken and progress achieved in the realization of the national values set out in Article 10 of our Constitution as well as the progress made in fulfilling our international obligations.

It is my pleasure to submit the same to this Special Sitting of the two Houses of Parliament and to the entire nation of Kenya.

Hon. Speakers, the state of our nation is strong. We remain a country, striving and ambitious, taking on our pressing challenges and not avoiding them. We do this because we know that the path to lasting cohesion and decent jobs for our people can only be achieved in an environment where fairness, integrity and the rule of law are observed by all citizens without exception.

Hon. Speakers, as President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces, I have heard the cries of our people and their stated hopes and aspirations for a better Kenya. When they elected me as their President, I committed to strive and unceasingly fulfil the trust and confidence that they placed in me and I will not turn back on this commitment.

back on fighting all enemies of Kenya, foreign or domestic so as to ensure that Kenyans and their property are safe and secure.

Hon. Speakers, there is no turning back on the obligations we have made on the Big Four Agenda, to environmental sustainability, to inter-generational equity and upholding a strong rules-based international system. There will be no turning back on the Building Bridges Initiative that assures inclusion, cohesion, unity and respect for all Kenyans. There will be no turning back on the war against corruption as it is a just war to prevent misuse of public resources for selfish interests by those who have been entrusted to manage them.

We are not turning back because we are determined to gift our children a better Kenya than the one we inherited. We want to have a prosperous Kenya where the respect for the rule of law and integrity are accepted norms.

Hon. Speakers, following the country‟s first General Election under the new Constitution, I took the oath of office as the first President elected under the new legal order. My first term laid the foundation for a better Kenya by building on the promise and aspirations of the new Constitution as articulated under Article 10 and, therefore, set the stage to propel our country to greater security, health, unity, prosperity, equity and justice.

The national values and principles of governance epitomize the vision that Kenyans have for their nation. The forty-three words are the promise we have made to ourselves and the generations to come. As we reflect on these values, let us ask ourselves as leaders in the public and private sectors, as well as ordinary Kenyans, how much we are paying heed to these values and principles in our personal conduct.

Across the length and breadth of this great nation, ordinary Kenyans continue to do extraordinary things that show that the flame of our national spirit burns brighter than ever before. Our men and women in various disciplines keep the flag of Kenya flying high at international events, bringing glory to our nation.

In this regard, amongst many, the nation salutes Eliud Kipchoge and his compatriots who have continued to make our national anthem echo around capitals of the world. We are proud of our Peter Tabichi who was recently voted the best teacher in the world. He has demonstrated our aspiration and potential to deliver world-class education standards.

the counties. Devolution has received the full and firm support of my administration, and, together with an enabling and supportive Parliament, we have seen it transform lives, revive local economies and bring service delivery closer to the people. There can be no turning back on devolution. The system is sound and has proven its value and contribution to national development.

However, I believe that its potential and value will be greatly enhanced by focus on service delivery, prioritizing development expenditure, unwavering commitment to integrity and anti-corruption and strict commitment to value for money in procurement. When this is done, devolution will no doubt transform our nation.

the challenges facing the wholesale and retail trade, the sector has also attracted new international supermarket chains and continues to support the expansion of domestic players.

Hon. Speakers, in 2019, we expect an even stronger growth of 6.3 per cent, reflecting continued improvement in the business environment, political stability as a result of building bridges, as well as improvement in the environment associated with the execution of the Big Four Agenda and sustained macro-economic stability.

Hon. Speakers, in the same reporting period, inflation averaged 4.6 per cent, remaining within the set targets. Our official foreign exchange reserves averaged USD

on course for the full roll-out of the UHC in the year 2019/2020 in the remaining 43 counties.

Hon. Members, agriculture is the largest employer in the economy accounting for 60 per cent of total employment. In recognition of its central role, my administration earmarked the sector as a key pillar of the Big Four Agenda, as we seek to ensure food security and nutrition for all Kenyans. Our reforms are aimed at being farmer-centric and are focused on reducing the cost of food, increasing agricultural value-addition and offering incentives for farming. To enhance food production at the household level, over the last year, we have constructed 4,400 water pans under the Household Irrigation Water Projects. The pans will store six million cubic meters of water, placing an additional 6,000 acres under irrigation.

To address the perennial challenges in the sugar and maize sub-sectors, my administration commits to decisively act on the recommendations of the two sectoral taskforces that are slated to report their findings later this month. I expect that the teams will propose bold and transformative interventions to revive and substantially grow, in a sustainable way, these important sub-sectors. Additionally, my administration has prioritized reforms in the coffee sub-sector, and implemented numerous interventions emanating from the recommendations of the Coffee Task Force. These include the ambitious rehabilitation of 500 pulping stations in 31 coffee-growing counties.

Hon. Speakers, with a view to comprehensively resolve the problem of undue delays in the payment cycle, we have also set up a Kshs3 billion Cherry Advance Revolving Fund to be operational from 1st July, 2019.

This will not only put money in the pockets of our local artisans, but also support the formalization of this industry.

Hon. Speakers, the delivery of the Big Four Agenda is on course and we expect the private sector to take advantage of the policies and incentives in place and turn the four priority areas into mighty engines of wealth and job creation. The realization of the Big Four Agenda is dependent on critical enablers, including; energy, transport, education, water, Information, Communication and Technology (ICT).

To provide reliable and cost-effective electricity that meets current and future demand, we have put in place measures to accelerate the development of the entire power generation, electricity transmission and supply infrastructure. This will also support the realization of universal access to electricity by the year 2022. I am happy to report that installed capacity has increased from 1,768 megawatts in March of 2013, to the current 2,712 megawatts, with Lake Turkana Wind, Ngong Wind and Garissa Solar Power Plants joining the grid within the last year.

In collaboration with development partners, we have made tremendous gains in scaling up connectivity over the last six years, with the number of electricity connections rising from 2.2 million in March of 2013, to 7.1 million as at March of 2019. The tangible impact on the lives and livelihoods of our people, associated with increased electricity connectivity cannot be gainsaid.

The Madaraka Express remains a story of remarkable success and national pride and, indeed, it has been listed among the top 13 most magnificent railway tours for 2019. Over two-and-a-half (2.5) million Kenyans have travelled by Madaraka Express since inception in May, 2018 and 3.9 million tons of cargo have been transported on the line.

Hon. Speakers, on air transport, we are seeing an upward trajectory in Kenya. To facilitate this, we continue to upgrade our airports and airstrips across the country.

Indeed, in October, 2018, Kenya was able to launch direct flights connecting Nairobi to New York. This connectivity is expected to increase the number of tourists in the country while opening a large market in the United States of America (USA) for our export produce.

Today, Hon. Speakers, our transformative agenda is visible to all. These infrastructure developments, in addition to supporting the realization of the Big Four Agenda have opened up opportunities for big and small businesses and improved the livelihoods of many Kenyans.

Hon. Speakers, my administration recognizes the role played by micro, small and medium enterprises in spurring the development of our country. The sector employs approximately 14.9 million Kenyans and contributes to an estimated 28 per cent of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

To unlock the latent potential resident in this sector, my administration has been working towards addressing the challenges of access to credit, training and skills development. In this regard, we will be launching a Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Credit Guarantee Scheme in a few weeks aimed at deepening their access to credit without being subjected to complex application procedures and collateral requirements.

Additionally, it is expected that when fully implemented, a comprehensive one stop-shop for all population and national identity records will be in place.

Hon. Speakers, the national values are best realized through proactive reform measures in education. It is in our schools that we can best embed in our children, human dignity, equity, social justice, inclusivity and all the other values that we cherish and hold dear.

It is for this reason that my administration introduced curriculum reforms designed to better align our education system with our national values. These reforms are expected to mold a people who embody innovation and excellence. The results will be a globally competitive human capital base, having the tools for success in a fast-paced and dynamic world.

Hon. Speakers, in fulfillment of the same, in 2018, my administration adopted the policy on universal access to basic education. The policy seeks to ensure that all our children enroll in primary school and complete their secondary education with 100 per cent transition rate. This measure will go a long way to ensuring that all Kenyans have access to equal opportunities and a chance to further their passions. Our aggressive push of this agenda has this year seen us achieve a 100 per cent transition rate, the highest in the African Continent.

Hon. Speakers, we are a country blessed with natural resources which, if properly managed, will transform, in a big way, our nation and the welfare of our people. However, we must appreciate that these resources are finite. In that context, it must be our solemn duty as the State to manage these resources sustainably for the fair and equitable benefit of both present and future generations.

Mindful of this duty, my administration has developed and will be presenting before this Session of Parliament the Sovereign Wealth Fund Bill. The Bill proposes creation of a Fund and provides a legal framework to guide investment of revenues from oil, gas minerals and other qualifying natural resources.

The Fund, as proposed in this Bill, comprises of three parts, notably, (i) a Stabilization Fund, (ii) Infrastructure Development Fund and (iii) a Future Generation Fund.

It is important to underscore that other than the cost of services of those entrusted to manage the Fund, all monies in the Fund will be used to finance critical national development programmes in order to ensure sustainability.

Hon. Speakers, sustainable development is a constitutional imperative and one of the national values. Sustainable development remains a core consideration within my Government, guiding the outlook and implementation of our policy programmes and projects across the board.

As the host nation of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), Kenya remains a global leader in environmental conservation and sustainable development.

My administration has spearheaded the implementation of various environmental initiatives including interventions for the sustainable exploitation of the blue economy, sustained the ban on environmentally harmful classes of plastics and polythene carrying and packaging materials, enhanced the protection and promotion of our national forests in line with our commitment to achieve a minimum of 10 per cent forest cover by the year 2020, and interventions with regard to water and air quality.

These interventions not only protect the environment but also create business and employment opportunities through the green economy. Indeed, as a result of our interventions, Kenya is today a global leader in green energy with 85 per cent of our energy mix coming from renewable sources.

Kenyan products in Africa, share critical information and generate wealth and jobs for Kenyans. My Government continues to lobby for and participate in senior positions within various international organisations.

Hon. Speakers, Kenya‟s election to the Africa Union (AU) Peace and Security Council in 2019 and our strategic decision to vie for a non-permanent seat in the United Nations (UN) Security Council for the period 2021/2022 are geared towards affirming Kenya‟s historical pride as a leader in regional peace and security.

During the period under review, Kenya has invested in robust diplomatic engagements at a bilateral and multilateral level, in furtherance of our strategic national interests. These include engagements with regional partners such as Ethiopia, Namibia and Uganda and globally with the United States of America (USA), Canada, France, China and the United Kingdom (UK), among other peer jurisdictions.

Hon. Speakers, building a better Kenya is ultimately the desire of every Kenyan, but we must be alive to the reality that this noble goal cannot be achieved if we operate in disharmony. Every one of us must appreciate the importance of unity and cohesion in this pursuit. We all know the damage that we have suffered in the past as a result of discord amongst ourselves. Indeed, it has been and it remains an urgent agenda to bring harmony, unity and civility to the political landscape and discourse in this country. That is what informed the Building Bridges Initiative commonly known as the “Handshake”.

Today, we honour the brave men and women who have paid the ultimate price for our security. We thank the individual Kenyans who are willing to speak up bravely against radicalization and criminality, and for standing up to serve their fellow Kenyans. We announce again to our enemies and the world that Kenya, as a nation, cannot be stopped by their plots and evils.

because of the actions of a few criminals. However, we remain unshakably committed to our values in this, and I truly believe that we shall prevail.

Hon. Speakers, in recognition of the fact that for law enforcement agencies to effectively discharge their duties, they need to be empowered and appropriately capacitated, we are, therefore, undertaking enhanced training and improvements in welfare, more effective use of technology, equipment and far better co-ordination between and within parties. Almost 2,000 CCTV cameras are now working in Mombasa and Nairobi counties, offering real-time 24-hour security monitoring. This has greatly assisted our police in resolving complicated crimes. To foster security, the Government has also repossessed 5,050 assorted weapons illegally held by civilians, as part of the ongoing fire arm verification process.

Hon. Speakers, Kenya leads the region in developing a vibrant digital commercial sector. In this regard, we have developed a national cyber-security strategy, enacted the Computer Misuse and Cyber Crimes Act, implemented a national cyber security training initiative and established specialized teams with defensive cyber-warfare capabilities, in an endeavour to protect our economy from cyber-crimes.

Hon. Speakers and Hon. Members, from the foregoing, it is clear that the state of our nation is strong, vibrant and I believe, beaming with promise. However, corruption and impunity endangers each and every one of these gains.

private sector and professional bodies. While past administrations made attempts to deal with the challenge, the problem remained enormous and required more determined focus.

Hon. Speakers, following my proclamation on anti-corruption in 2015, my administration embarked on a programme to deepen the fight against corruption, through strengthening and resourcing the institutions charged with this most noble duty. Since then, we continue to witness the highest levels of engagement and action on this previously taboo subject.

For the first time in our nation‟s history, eight Cabinet Secretaries and eight Principal Secretaries have had to step aside to give way for investigations and prosecutions; a concept previously unknown in public sector management. Seven current and former governors and over 30 Chief Executive Officers (CEO) of State corporations, are under active investigation or prosecution for various corruption-related offences.

sharing, investigation and prosecution. These measures have already reaped visible benefits.

Hon. Members, it is not enough to merely jail and fine those who have looted from our public coffers. The wealth stolen from Kenyans must be returned to its owners; the People of Kenya, with the clear message being that corruption does not pay. It is in this context that we have entered into asset recovery agreements with foreign countries in pursuit of a robust restitution strategy.

Equally important, I urge every public and private institution in Kenya to join us in waging this war against corruption and economic crimes. If you love your country, you should reject corruption and all those who steal the sweat of your countrymen. This, Hon. Members, is one war I am certain we will win.

integrity, hard work and sacrifice must be reinstated and held dear in the eyes of our children. I intend to be the President that delivers that future.

Finally, Hon. Speakers, it is now my pleasure to submit to Parliament the following three Reports as required by the Constitution-

Order, Hon. Members. You may be upstanding.

Your Excellency the President, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Hon. Senators, Hon. Members of the National Assembly, it is now time to adjourn the Senate. The Senate stands adjourned until Tuesday, 9th April, 2019 at 2.30 p.m. in the Senate Chamber.

I thank you. The Speaker of the National Assembly (Hon. Muturi) Your Excellency the President of the Republic of Kenya, Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta, Hon. Members of the National Assembly, the National Assembly stands adjourned until Tuesday, 23rd April, 2019 at 2.30 p.m.