I welcome and appreciate every one of you for joining us today to celebrate this important occasion in our calendar. June first (1st) is one of the most memorable and inspiring days of our life as a nation. Indeed, history records this day as the beginning of our journey to sovereignty and independence.
On that first Madaraka Day, we assumed moral, legal and political responsibility for our destiny as a nation. On that day, we proclaimed that we would be totally responsible for our destiny and that we would join our compatriots in the fight for the freedom of those countries in Africa that remained under colonial rule. We embraced this sacred mandate, signed with the blood of our freedom fighters.