President Uhuru Kenyatta puts poachers on notice

President Uhuru Kenyatta

By Standard Digital Reporter

Nairobi, Kenya: President Uhuru Kenyatta has put  poachers on notice promising unspecified action against culprits.

In his second address on state of the Nation, the President said the government will not tolerate individuals focused on killing animals to create wealth.

“As members of the international community, and in line with our national values, we espouse the principles of sustainable development. Our economic well-being is strongly interrelated with our natural heritage. We believe that as we pursue development today, we should ensure that we do not compromise our future potential for development,” said Uhuru.

“It is for this reason that I am taking stern measures to address the wildlife poaching menace. We will not allow the plunder of our natural capital, by greedy individuals, hell-bent on causing destruction,” he said.

The President said decisions on pressing environmental challenges and opportunities will be made. “For reasons that should be evident, we await the High Level Dialogue on Illegal Wildlife Trade with the keenest interest.”

Responding to high cost of living that has hit many Kenyans in the recent past, the President said adequate measures are being taken by the government to bring the cost of living to acceptable levels.

“We know too that despite the stability of our macro-economic environment, many Kenyans continue to labour under the rising costs of living.  Our work in agriculture, energy,  transport , infrastructure, and in simplifying the opening of productive business – are all aimed at reducing the cost of living. We already have some results to show: the prices of basic commodities such as fuel, sugar and cooking fats were actually lower in February this year than they were in February 2013. 

If we stay the course, and we will, we may be able to achieve a significant reduction in the prices of our basic foods – a matter of importance since inflation in food prices affects deeply the life of ordinary Kenyans.

He said government is expecting economy to grow at 6 per cent this year. “Still, laying the foundation of our prosperity has been an expensive affair.  If we are to comply with the constitution’s view of governance, we have no business making it more expensive than it need be.”