OCT 20 – Kenya shall remain a united nation whose true potential will not be held back by the shackles of tribalism or regionalism, President William Ruto has said.
The President said Kenya’s freedom fighters were driven by a common agenda to liberate all Kenyans irrespective of their geographical origins or the languages they spoke.
Presiding over the 61st Madaraka Day Celebrations in Kwale on Sunday, the President cited the Giriama female freedom fighter Mekatilili wa Menza as an example of a liberation icon whose cause transcended her place of origin.
“In confronting colonialism, Mekatilili wa Menza did not seek to free her village or region from occupation by a community,” said the President.
“Instead, she resisted structures and institutions of a system of exploitation and tyranny in the knowledge that defeating it would free a whole nation,” he said.
President Ruto noted that the greatest lesson the liberation heroes passed down to Kenyans through generations is that all citizens are full and equal members of the nation’s political community.
“No proposition to discriminate or to unjustly diminish one while enlarging another’s right is admissible. Therefore, any formula seeking to exclude, alienate or disenfranchise any person, group or community for any reason is repugnant to the very essence of our nationhood,” the President explained.
This year’s Mashujaa Day celebrations were preceded by the Boma Yangu Week to showcase the achievements of the Affordable Housing Programme.
Currently, 124, 000 housing units are at various stages of completion at 75 sites in 37 counties, creating 160,000 jobs through the housing value chain.
“Here in Kwale County, for example, the Matuga Affordable Housing Project is underway, creating daily employment for 200 workers. Similarly, the Diani White House Project is under construction, generating additional jobs,” he said.
Further, more than 200 artisans in the county are providing essential services at various sites, fabricating components such as doors, windows and cabinet fittings, thus transforming local manufacturing.
The President said the National Government has allocated KSh4.4 billion for payments for MSMEs supplying goods and services under the programme.
“I was especially proud to witness the signing of the KSh720 million sub-contract awarded to Soweto Highrise Fabricators and Woodworkers Association in Kibera, Nairobi,” the President said.
He thanked local banks for providing KSh150 billlion annually to loan to MSMEs for the next three years.
He announced that in December, the government will hand over 1,080 new studio units at Mukuru Meteorological Site in Nairobi, with mortgages priced at KSh3,200 a month.
“The revolutionary dimension of this milestone is that finally, mortgages will no longer be the vocabulary of a lucky few, but an accessible, feasible and convenient instrument of bottom-up empowerment,” President Ruto pointed out.
On healthcare reforms, the President said Kenyans will contribute and access comprehensive healthcare benefits through the Social Health Insurance Fund.
“The value for money in this scheme will be undeniable once migration from the National Health Insurance Fund is completed, and the fund is fully operational,” he said.
More than 12.9 million Kenyans are already registered under the Social Health Authority. All public health institutions, along with 50 per cent of private facilities, have been onboarded to provide services.
To accelerate the Universal Health Coverage roll-out, the President announced that the Government will release KSh3 billion to pay outstanding payments to hospitals.
He called for patience as the Government undertakes healthcare reforms, saying: “In a matter of weeks, SHIF will be serving us efficiently and making the dream of Universal Health Coverage come true.”
Further, he assured former NHIF employees that they will not lose in the ongoing changes in the health sector.
Additionally, the Government will strengthen the provision of medical supplies through capacity upgrades and establishment of Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (Kemsa) regional distribution centres in Kisumu, Embakasi and Mombasa.
At the same time, President Ruto announced the Government’s investment of KSh7.4 billion to promote the Blue Economy, which currently contributes KSh20 billion annually to the economy.
These investments include KSh2.7 billion for the construction of fish landing sites and markets equipped with cold storage facilities at the Coast and in the Lake Victoria regions.
Another KSh1.7 billion in grants will be released to 617 fishing cooperatives and groups in the Coast region.
Moreover, another KSh1.4 billion has been allocated towards the National Mariculture Resource and Training Centre in Shimoni, Kwale County.
President Ruto said the Government has distributed 123 fishing boats to local communities to facilitate the transition of fisherfolk to deep-water and Exlusive Economic Zone fishing.
Further, he announced that the government has set aside KSh1.5 to sort out the issue of absentee landlords at the Coast and to enable squatters get title deeds to land they have lived on for years.
Present were Deputy President-Designate Kithure Kindiki, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries and a host of other leaders.
