President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday 12 September, opened the 12th Parliament amid NASA leaders boycott.
Out of the 136 MPs from parties allied to
the National Super Alliance (NASA), only two lawmakers - Alfred Sambu (Webuye
East) and Charles Gimose (Hamisi) of Amani National Congress and Ford Kenya
respectively attended the function.
Here is President Uhuru's full speech during the opening of the 12th Parliament;
Honourable Speakers,
First and foremost we thank God for the
gift of a great country filled with the bounty we need, and the continued
peace.
I also thank all Kenyans for expressing, in
a mature and patient manner, their sovereign will during the elections.
Millions of voters stood in long queues, in the sun and rain, hungry and
thirsty, in their quest to express their democratic choice.
I offer you, Honourable Members, my
heartfelt congratulations on being elected to Parliament.
Honourable Members,
By our Constitution, and our traditions,
you represent the sovereign will and aspirations of millions of Kenyans. I wish
all of you every success in fulfilling your very important national duties in
the next five years.
I urge you to never forget that we are here
representing the Kenyan people, who have an urgent need for governance that
delivers to them peace and security, and indeed prosperity.
I also celebrate the women of Kenya who
continue to demonstrate leadership throughout the country. Three women were
elected Governors while others won positions as Senators, Members of Parliament
and Members of County Assemblies.
Today, I am a proud Kenyan for the gains we
have made in promoting inclusion of women into elected office. I am proud
because I have great confidence in Kenya’s women and deep faith in their
capacities.
However, as important as these gains are,
we recognize we still have much more work to do to increase their participation
in national leadership.
I also salute the large number of young
people, who have come to elected office. I am very glad that the Kenyan people
are so willing to give our youth opportunities to offer leadership.
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The young men and women elected to
Parliament, and other offices, have a special responsibility to represent the
aspirations of the youth for employment opportunities and better service
delivery by the National and County Governments.
Honourable Members,
Let me also take this opportunity to thank
the Honourable Members from the 11th Parliament, who made their mark on our
country’s history. They will forever be remembered for the way they steered and
entrenched devolution.
Within a relatively short time, we as a country,
were able to adopt and execute a devolution process that elsewhere in the world
has taken a longer period of time.
This historic achievement was made possible
by the constant productive consultations and collaboration between the
Legislature and the Executive.
Our 10th Parliament delivered a new
Constitution. The 11th Parliament implemented that Constitution and entrenched
devolution as an institutional framework for driving our development agenda.
Honourable Members,
The 12th Parliament has been sworn into
office at an important constitutional moment that requires you to uphold the
supremacy of the Constitution and its institutions.
This does not mean always having your way.
As you well know, we still have to undertake a fresh presidential election following
the verdict of the Supreme Court. Even though I strongly disagreed with that
decision, I accepted it because of my respect for our Constitution.
I have previously demonstrated this
fidelity to the best interests of the Kenyan people, as happened when I
conceded the loss of an election in You will also recall that I heeded the
summons from a foreign court even though I knew I was answering trumped-up
charges.
You, as Honourable Members of Parliament,
must be steadfast in protecting our Constitution as the critical base for
assuring our people sustained peace, security and prosperity.
As a country, we spent more than two
decades crafting a new constitutional order that maps our state organs and
processes, and thus provides certainty and predictability to our national life.
In our current circumstance, the elections we held on the 8th of August; the
swearing-in of Governors, Members of both Parliament and County Assemblies; the
verdict of the Supreme Court; the call for fresh elections on 17th October; my
address to you this afternoon; and the set term of a president until a new one
is sworn in, are all part of our laid-down constitutional processes.
No matter the political noises that are
loudest during elections, I want to assure every Kenyan, and the world, that
every arm of government is in place and operational. There is no void and there
is no lacuna; Kenya is progressing along the path drawn for it by the
Constitution.
Honourable Members,
At this juncture, I would like to make it
abundantly clear that the government will not tolerate anyone intent on
disrupting our hard-won peace and stability.
Under no circumstances must Kenyans ever
allow our free, competitive process to become a threat to the peace and
security of our Nation. Our region, and indeed the world, through history, is
littered with broken, miserable countries who failed to draw the distinction
between vibrant democratic competition and destructive division.
In this regard, I urge all political
leaders to avoid engaging in divisive and destructive politics that have no
place in modern Kenya.
For my part, I know that my most serious
obligation is to sustain and protect the peace and security of all our people
without exception.
We are now headed into a fresh presidential
election that the Electoral Commission has scheduled for the 17th of October.
The Kenyan people will again affirm their choice of who they want to serve as
their President.
This is not just a choice between two
individuals. Most importantly, it is the transfer of the people’s sovereign
will to an office that is the symbol of our national unity; that protects our
security, and is key to delivering development and prosperity.
Kenyans will line up again on the 17th of
October. The marks that millions of voters will make on the ballot paper will
represent far more than the desires of politicians. As Kenyans did on the 8th
of August, they will vote for different candidates.
But almost every single man and woman will
be using the vote to seek the same things: a better livelihood, access to good
healthcare, a more promising future for their children, decent jobs for all
those willing to work, and security.
It must be understood that, that marked
ballot represents more than technology, more than computers systems, or even
where it was printed.
The mark is the choice of a sovereign
people. Their choice is sacred and must never be frustrated or ignored.
Honourable Members,
As we move forward during this momentous
time, you, as newly elected leaders, must firmly take up your place in the
governing of this great country.
Your promises to the electorate were turned
into a solemn oath in which you swore, to bear true faith and allegiance to the
People and the Republic of Kenya; that you would obey, respect, uphold,
preserve, protect and defend this Constitution of the Republic of Kenya; and
that you would faithfully and conscientiously discharge the duties of a Member
of Parliament.
In the coming days, you will be called upon
to be true to that oath; I urge you to do your duty. It is the same oath that I
made when I became President and Commander-in-Chief.
Kenyans expect us to understand the weight
of responsibility in living up to our oath, and having wisdom and clarity as we
carry out our duties.
It is no accident that the first two
articles of the Constitution declare that the sovereignty of the people is
exercised through their elected representatives, and that Parliament represents
the diversity of the nation.
These words represent the hard sacrifices
and hopes of generations of Kenyans who fought to earn the right to govern
themselves and to freely choose their representatives.
That history places a profound
responsibility on the Members of this House to ‘protect this Constitution and
promote the democratic governance of the Republic.’
Honourable Members,
The separation of powers of the three arms
of government is a critical constitutional principle in protecting the liberty
of the people.
But, given the complexity of the public
issues the three arms of government and constitutional commissions have to
handle, they must work together willingly even as they respect each other’s
functional independence.
Equally important, the three arms are supposed
to be free from intimidation or control by any foreign or domestic actors, and
special interest groups.
Every Kenyan official who serves in these
arms of government and commissions must be constantly on the lookout for any
actions that undermine their independence. And they should understand that
undertaking the sacred task the Kenyan people have given them requires that
they constantly remember, and affirm, in word and deed, that the people are
sovereign.
No technicality, no conference, no process,
no power or influence, should ever stand in the way of that sovereign will.
The Kenyan people expect every arm and
institution of government to work together for them. Parliament directly
represents the people, and it is you, Honourable Members, who must constantly
remind all of us about the needs and aspirations of the people who sent you
here.
Honourable Speakers and Members,
Our country is at a defining moment during
which we are called upon to rise to our wisest, our most generous and most
honest. Every member of this August House represents the full and beautiful
diversity of our nation.
From Mombasa to Malaba, we may speak
different languages, worship differently, and live in different parts of the
country, but we must accept we are one people. The success of our nation is the
love that each and every one of our people has for this country. Yes, we must
love
Honourable Members,
This August House must stand for that unity
and must rise to the promises we have made to the people of this great nation.