NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 19 – Prime Minister Raila Odinga has challenged the youth to shun tribalism and rise to the service of the nation in order to achieve the aspirations of our founding fathers.
He reminded the youth that it\’s only through dedicating themselves to greater causes as our national heroes that they will positively contribute to the destiny of this country.
"At this very special moment in our history, I am confident that with the energy youth brings to all things, we can make a shinning success of the journey we have begun in our country," he said.
The Premier noted that for the country to move forward, Kenyans need to love one another and put aside once and for all the historical mistrust that existed between them.
Mr Odinga spoke when he addressed students and teachers of Lenana school, Kenya High and Precious Blood on the eve of the first ever Mashujaa day.
The PM who toured Lenana School regretted that the school\’s fortunes have immensely fallen low, largely because a number of traditions that the school set have been abandoned.
The Premier who declared that this is "Lenana school\’s day of restoration" and expressed solidarity with the institution\’s restoration efforts pledging to offer his support to revive the school – especially the infrastructural facilities that are currently in a sorry state.
He said that the government was committed to providing quality education to all Kenyans and had deliberately chosen to invest in the education sector.
"We must be able to give our people an opportunity to compete fairly," he said, and challenged Kenyans to always compare themselves with the best in the world as opposed to situations where they derived consolation by comparing themselves with worst cases in the world.
While restating the importance of education, the Premier said that national schools have done a wonderful job in tackling one of the country\’s greatest menaces of tribalism and negative ethnicity through student intakes that have a national outlook.
He said: "Such arrangements strengthen my faith that we can use our education system to create a Kenya of just one tribe; the tribe of Kenyans."
The Prime Minister observed the perhaps a time has come for the country to discard the quota admission system for high schools.
He suggested that a system should be created where students and teachers are allowed to seek admission or teach in schools in any part of the country.
On exchange programmes, Raila said that the country had benefitted immensely from academic exchanges that started in the 1960s, which opened new horizons for young Kenyans.
He especially thanked Germany for the exchange programme with the German Statdische School and appealed to the UK to restate the Norton exchange that had been stopped at the height of the post election violence in early 2008.
Mr Odinga condemned the ugly incident that took place at Endarasha secondary where students on rampage torched a hostel leading to the loss of lives.
He called for discipline and dedication among students as a key factor to achieving academic excellence.
Those who accompanied the PM included Agriculture minister Sally Kosgey, Tourism minister Najib Balala, Kikuyu MP Lewis Nguyai who also an old boy of Lenana school, the Germany ambassador Margit Hellwig-Boette, old boys and other dignitaries.
The school principal Peter Warui and the chairman of the board said that government has remitted Sh45million to help construct a hostel block but appealed for more funds to unlock the dilapidated school infrastructural facilities.
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