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Law implementation tops Kibaki’s list

NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 27 – President Mwai Kibaki on Sunday assured Kenyans of his steadfast commitment in the implementation of the new Constitution.

The President urged Kenyans to remain calm despite the intermittent challenges being experienced in the implementation process.

The Head of State also promised that the executive arm of the government would continually maintain productive dialogue with Parliament and the Judiciary so as to address challenges that may arise occasionally.

He said: “I want, therefore, to assure all Kenyans that the challenges we have experienced in the last few weeks should not be cause for worry. I am committed to the successful implementation of the Constitution and I urge all stakeholders to join hands so that we can open a new chapter of prosperity for our country.”

In a message to mark the 3rd anniversary of the Grand Coalition Government, President Kibaki said he was confident that successful implementation of the Constitution would open a new chapter of stability and prosperity for the country.

President Kibaki stated: “With the new Constitution in place, the next
step is the implementation.”

The President reminded Kenyans that after two decades of fruitless effort the country resoundingly adopted the new Constitution which was publicly promulgated on 27th August, 2010.

Expressing delight on the laudable progress achieved in the implementation of the new set of laws, the Head of State noted that several commissions have so far been constituted among them the Constitution Implementation Commission.

Said the President: “The Commission is responsible for the details involved in creating the necessary legislative framework required to bring the New Constitution into force. The Commission has commenced its work in earnest.”

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Others Commissions that have so far been established include the Commission on Revenue Allocation and the Judicial Service Commission.

“The Commission on Revenue Allocation has also been established under Article 215 of the Constitution. Its principle function is to make recommendations concerning the basis for the equitable sharing of revenue between national and county governments and among county governments,” President Kibaki noted.

The Head of State said: “Similarly, the eight members of the Judicial Service Commission have already been appointed and were subsequently sworn in on 11th January 2011. Following the enactment of the Judicial Services Act, the Commission will soon be fully operational.”

Advising Kenyans to maintain unity and focus on building the nation, President Kibaki asked wananchi to reflect on the country’s history with a view to drawing lessons to overcome future challenges.

The President stated: “Let us always remember that there is so much that unites us as Kenyans. We are one nation, one people. Let us commit Kenya to the Almighty God who has seen us through this period.”

He affirmed that the letter and spirit of the National Accord has prevailed over the last three years and thanked Kenyans for their resilience and enduring commitment to the agreement which has enabled the coalition government to succeed in its undertakings.

Underscoring that the National Accord ended the post election challenges that faced the country in 2007/2008, the President appreciated that the country had since then made tremendous progress in implementing various reforms advocated for during the national dialogue and reconciliation meetings.

“The signing of the National Accord enabled us to end the post election
violence and to restore peace in our country in early 2008,” observed the Head of State.

"The Kenya National Dialogue and Reconciliation Committee identified four main reform agenda items. These four agenda items were identified as critical for addressing the causes of the national crisis we experienced, reconciling our various communities and preventing future conflicts in the country.” The National Accord, said the President, paved way for the creation of various commissions of inquiries which submitted their reports and recommendations that are currently being implemented by the Government.

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“In addition we established the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission as well as the National Cohesion and Integration Commission to spearhead the process of promoting national reconciliation and healing as well as addressing issues of negative ethnicity and integration,” the President remarked.

President Kibaki commented: “Similarly, we created the Independent Review Commission on the 2007 General Elections and the Commission of Inquiry into the Post-Election Violence. These two commissions have since completed their work and submitted recommendations, the implementation of which is on-going.”

Admitting that there are several outstanding challenges, the Head of State reiterated the Government’s resolute determination to address youth unemployment as well as complete resettlement of all genuine internally displaced persons.

The President added: “In particular, I am aware that some Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are yet to be resettled. The Government has set aside resources for the resettlement of all genuine IDPs and I call upon the relevant Government Departments to expedite the resettlement process.”

The Head of State at the same time lauded a wide range of measures instituted by the Government aimed at creating more employment opportunities for Kenyans particularly the youth citing the example of the Youth Enterprise Fund as well as the Kazi Kwa Vijana programme.

“In spite of this progress, we are aware that these schemes are not adequate to deal with the millions of young people desiring decent jobs. For this reason, the Government is engaging in massive infrastructure projects that generate a wide range of employment opportunities for the youth.”

However, the President confirmed that only overall economic growth would eradicate poverty and create more job opportunities reassuring that the government will continue pursuing sound economic policies in line with the country’s development blueprint, Vision 2030.

He exuded optimism that the country’s economy would grow faster at the projected rate of between 6.5 and 8 per cent over the next two years after a period of slow growth in the recent past.

“I note that after a period of slow growth in the last two years, the economy has turned around and recorded a 5.4 per cent growth rate last year,” President Kibaki said.
 

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