Madaraka Day: President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Full Speech
SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY HON UHURU KENYATTA, C.G.H., PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE DEFENCE FORCES DURING THE MADARAKA DAY CELEBRATIONS ON JUNE 1, 2022.
YOUR EXCELLENCY JULIUS MAADA , PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SIERRA LEONE AND THE FIRST LADY OF THE REPUBLIC OF SIERRA LEONE, HON SPEAKERS, YOUR LADYSHIP THE CHIEF JUSTICE, LEADERS FROM ACROSS THE ENTIRE SPECTRUM OF OUR NATION, MEMBERS OF THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS, FELLOW KENYANS, LADIES, AND GENTLEMEN, HAPPY MADARAKA DAY!
Today, I am delighted to return to these hallowed grounds of Uhuru Gardens to commemorate our 59th Madaraka Day.
I am overjoyed because, after 59 years of self-rule, this is the first time we are celebrating Madaraka Day on these hallowed grounds.
Madaraka Day is significant in our history because it is on this day in June 1963 that the Founding Fathers of our Nation replaced the outgoing colonial government and formed the first indigenous Government of Kenya.
And with this act, we achieved self-rule or Madaraka, with Mzee Jomo Kenyatta as our first Prime Minister. However, self-rule was NOT the same thing as independence.
With Madaraka, we had merely surmounted the first hurdle in our liberation struggle. It was six months after the first Madaraka Day, that we secured our full independence on the 12th of December, 1963.
On that day, the Nation was summoned to these sacred grounds of Uhuru Gardens. An elated people listened with tears in their eyes as our National Anthem played for the first time.
And then we cheered in boundless joy as our flag was hoisted and the flag of the colonizers lowered.
This act of raising our National Flag was not an exercise in symbolism or a sheer sentimental exploit.
It was a sign that we had achieved sovereignty as a Nation. But fundamentally, it was a call to civic duty and responsibility to our people.
Once hoisted, our Founding Fathers reminded us that the flag was not just a cloth painted in designs of four colors.
Instead, it was a painting of the national wounds and scars we bear from our liberation struggle, coated with the illumination of our shared aspirations – our future.
It was and still remains a picture of the blood we shed to regain what we had lost. It is a reflection of the dignity of our black heritage and the pride we restored.
And because the ultimate act of every liberator is to lay down their weapon, the shield and spear on our National Flag is a symbol of victory.
But it is also a notice of readiness should our “heritage of splendor” be threatened.
According to our Founding Fathers, therefore, our flag is not a sentimental piece of fabric decorated in ink.
We must always remember that each time it flies, it is not blown by the wind. It is blown by the last breath of our liberators as they made their final bow to liberate Kenya.
Fellow Kenyans, Ladies, and Gentlemen,
Why did our independence heroes choose Uhuru Gardens as the place to midwife our young Nation? What was the significance of these grounds in the history of our liberation struggle? And what did they want remembered by generations to come?
Madaraka Day: President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Full Speech
On these grounds, sat one of the largest concentration camps in colonial Africa, holding up to 10,000 freedom fighters at any one given time.
Many of our compatriots were tortured and maimed for life in that camp. And many more unknown heroes died in this field.
The horrors of this camp are what inspired our Founding Fathers when they taught us that ” …the tree of freedom must be watered by the blood of our patriots”.
And that is why on Jamhuri Day in 1964, we planted a mugumo tree standing to my right, as a solemn and symbolic reminder of this eternal truth.
Although the colonizers killed the messengers in this camp, they could not kill the message. The liberation ‘fever’ spread across the Nation and the colonizers had no option but to surrender.
Fellow Kenyans,
Why do I call Uhuru Gardens a hallowed ground? I do so because our Founding Fathers wanted us to celebrate this ground as a camp of martyrs and the birthplace of a Nation.
A place of remembrance, healing and renewal.
Each time we gather at this birthplace of our great Nation, we must remember that being free is the easy part; but staying free is the difficult part.
Although we are now fully free, we cannot continue to claim freedom casually. Instead, we must begin to practice it and jealously guard it against all threats, both foreign and domestic. The practice of freedom comes with a price.
If our heroes paid the price to liberate our Nation, we must similarly pay the price of nurturing our freedom.
But fundamentally, we must remember that the price today is NOT the price tomorrow. The price of liberating the Nation is not the price of growing the Nation.
To keep and nurture our freedom, we have to pay a higher price. And part of this price is to be trustworthy stewards of what our Founding Fathers passed down to us.
My joy today is that My Administration has restored the sanctity and historical significance of Uhuru Gardens. Following many years of neglect, this historic site had become a den of thieves.
In fact, it is on record that the 68 acres on which these sacred grounds sit had fallen into the hands of some unscrupulous individuals.
My Administration had to reclaim the ‘grabbed’ site in 2019 and restore its dignity and purity.
Yesterday, I had the distinct honour of inaugurating these grounds as a monument and a museum of remembrance; and a place of unedited history.
And we have done this because a progressive nation does not hide its history. It confronts it and endeavours to correct it, so as to change the future.
Fellow Kenyans, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Each time we celebrate our liberation struggle, tradition demands that we ponder a series of questions.
Fundamentally, we must ask this: how have we built on what was handed down to us? What account can we give of ourselves as the successors of the course of our liberators?
And can we honestly say that we have been faithful steward’s worthy of their sacrifice? On the 9th of April, 2013; I assumed office as our Nation’s fourth President.
Nine Years and two months later to the day, in discharge of the mandate you bestowed upon me, My Administration has built on the gains secured by the previous three administrations and strengthened our social fabric, making Kenya safer and healthier; fairer and just Nation where justice is truly our shield and defender; reinforced our educational and technical excellence; integrated devolution as a way of life; successfully led the Nation through the worst global health crisis in a century; whilst also expanding economic opportunities for all Kenyans.
As Kenyans, we often dwell on the what and the how, without asking ourselves “why”. And so, I answer, why has My Administration invested so heavily in infrastructure? Why has My Administration extensively equipped and retooled our Defence and Security Agencies; and expanded the benefits enjoyed by staff therein? Why has the Government driven digitization in the delivery of public services; while also fostering grassroots location and access to the same?
Why has my tenure in office seen so much emphasis on transformative programs and reforms in healthcare, education, agriculture, energy, titling of land, housing, social protection, affirmative action, commerce and industry, and the ease of doing business? Why the Big Four Agenda?
We have done all this because they are interrelated aspects of our national life that are tied together by a singular golden thread; areas of challenges that can become the engines that drive Kenya into a more just and prosperous future.
Fellow Kenyans,
National Security and Defence has been a priority area since 2013 because we cannot deliver on the National Anthem’s promise of plenty within our borders if those borders were porous and insecure.
I, therefore, made your security a top priority because I know that without a secure environment no life can flourish, and no enterprise can thrive.
With the mandate that you gave me, we silenced the wave of terror attacks that had a stranglehold on our Nation.
We achieved this by retooling our security organs and making them more capable to address the dynamic contemporary security challenges that Kenya faces.
To our security officers, because of your commitment to defend our Nation and to squarely face new dangers, every citizen is able to participate in the socio-economic development of our Nation.
You keep us free, preserve our way of life, and allow us all to enjoy the present as well as the better tomorrow that is upon us.
Fellow Kenyans,
In realizing equitable development through devolution, it was my distinct honor to be the President who received, fostered, and gave impetus to the devolved system of governance.
Today, the results of My Administration’s proactive and enthusiastic support, are markedly visible: from Makueni to Mandera, 6 Busia to Bungoma, Mombasa to Meru, Lamu to Laikipia, and from Turkana to Tharaka-Nithi.
With the mandate you gave me, we institutionalized devolution and forever changed the face of Kenya; buoyed by the Ksh2.44 trillion transferred by the National Government to the Counties from 2013 to date.
On the regional front, with the mandate you vested in me, Kenya led the push to admit the Democratic Republic of Congo into the East African Community.
With this singular move, the EAC common market grew by 90 million people; yielding a now expanded market of 300 million and consequently enhanced opportunities for Kenyan enterprises.
To exemplify this, Equity Bank is already breaking ground in the DRC and it is already the second largest Bank there. This is what I have done with the mandate you gave me.
On the global stage, we remain a leader in the cooperative multilateral order – as evidenced by our membership in the United Nations Security Council, which has provided us a voice on international peace and security matters threatening humanity.
This position has cemented our international stature and enhanced opportunities for Kenyans in the diaspora and within the international civil service.
In return, diaspora remittances have increased tenfold in the last decade; and they now stand at an all-time high of over Ksh400 billion in 2021; surpassing traditional exports and making human capital our greatest export.
With the mandate you gave me, you challenged us to enhance the global competitiveness of our human resources.
We did this because every epoch in our nation’s history has placed a unique set of demands on the skills and competencies required of our people; which in turn has required us to reform and recalibrate the content and architecture of our education system.
At independence, our Founding Fathers embarked on a mission of course correction to transition from a colonial education system that 7 prepared learners for servitude to one that gave them the tools to lead a newly independent Nation.
In 1985, we made yet another monumental shift by transitioning from the 7-4-2-3 system into the 8-4-4 system.
But with time, the 8-4-4 curriculum became inconsistent with the aspirations of our growing Nation, particularly because of its overloaded curriculum and its focus on rote learning and the passing of examinations as the ultimate goal of the system.
As we begun re-engineering it, we had to return to the foundational philosophy of education that: ‘citizens do not fail – systems fail them’. And if the systems are inconsistent with the aspirations of the people, they must be changed.
The challenge of the day calls us to imagine a system that creates responsible citizens as opposed to subjects, a system that celebrates the creative potential of all our children as opposed to one that leaves them with labels of failure if they do not pass exams.
A system that brings about freedom to be creative and innovative as individuals. This is the promise of the Competency-Based Curriculum and that is why in December 2022, the pioneer CBC Class, now in its sixth grade, will transition to Junior Secondary.
Given the manifest successes achieved in this short period of time, there is no turning back with respect to the Competency-Based Curriculum. With the mandate you gave me, we also secured 100 percent transition from Primary to Secondary education, ensuring that no child is left behind. We have also achieved Africa’s first 1:1 child to book ratio and restored the integrity of our national examinations.
In regard to higher education, we live in a time when knowledge is replacing other resources as the main driver of economic growth; and thus, education has increasingly become the foundation for greater individual prosperity.
Our universities continue to incubate innovations and prepare the next generation of leaders who are technically proficient and knowledgeable.
Talents continue to be nurtured and a workforce that 8 is globally competitive is with each passing year, transitioning from our institutions of higher learning into prominent positions locally and abroad.
To ensure that even those that are not admitted to Universities get an equal chance, we have transformed our Technical and Vocational Education Training.
Where there stood only 52 institutions in 2013, today we are home to 238 institutes, representing a 435% growth. With this transformation, every Kenyan child has a chance.
Fellow Kenyans,
In our efforts to foster inclusivity and gender parity, the one thing I am proud of is how we have built women’s leadership and expanded their fields of participation in governance.
For a long time, women’s affairs were relegated to the Department of Social Services; where they were grouped with children and persons living with disabilities.
In fact, the first woman to be appointed as a Permanent Secretary happened 24 years after independence.
Margaret Githinji was appointed the Permanent Secretary for Commerce and Industry on Maradaka Day of 1987.
And thereafter, the first woman to become a Cabinet Minister was Hon. Nyiva Mwendwa. This happened 32 years after independence, in 1995.
Today, and thanks to the 2010 Constitution and my commitment to equality and inclusivity, I have had the pleasure of working with eleven women in My Cabinet, at different times and in different capacities. All of them have occupied high-profile portfolios.
In fact, all the Cabinet Secretaries for Foreign Affairs for the last 9 years have been women.
Of equal note, My Administration has fast-tracked the promotion of women to leadership in our security sector.
I appointed Fatuma Ahmed, as the first woman Major-General of our Defence Forces in 2018. Similarly, the first female holder of the constitutional office of Auditor-General of our Republic was appointed under My Administration.
Mrs. Nancy Gathungu, appointed in 2021, continues to serve the Republic in that capacity.
And of course, one of the three arms of government is now headed by a woman. After 58 years of independence, in May 2021, I had the profound honor of being the first President of the Republic to commence an address with the salutation “Madam Chief Justice”, when the Hon. Lady Justice Martha Koome assumed office as the first woman Chief Justice.
I am also proud of the fact that Kenya’s Judiciary boasts a female Deputy Chief Justice, a female Chief Registrar, and many female Principal Judges and Presiding Judges across our Superior Courts.
In August this year, if it is the wish of the electorate, we have a chance of a woman shattering the glass ceiling by assuming the second-highest office in our Republic, the Office of the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya.
If our women were part of the liberation struggle, advancing their course intentionally is a duty we owe them and ourselves as a country.
And I am, indeed, proud to have been part of this push for women’s leadership in our Republic.
Fellow Kenyans,
Ladies and Gentlemen, Now I will give a further account of how My Administration has multiplied the fruits of our liberation.
And I will give this account using the Four Legacy Frames that have guided our execution of the mandate bestowed to us over the last 9 years.
These are what I call the Big-Push Investments, Economic Acceleration, Restoration of Dignity, and Political Stabilization.
I begin with the first legacy frame of the Big Push Investments. And I want to start with this frame because the question many have begged is why the heavy investment in infrastructure?
I have been asked why have we built mega dams; expanded ports and built new ones; increased our road networks; and revived dead railways as we have built new ones?
And our logic here is simple: It has nothing to do with what we have built; but with why we did it.
The naysayers said that we should not invest so heavily in infrastructure. Because people don’t eat roads and floating bridges.
I refused their pessimism because I know what a new road means to the farmer who has for decades been unable to get their produce quickly to the market.
I refused to delay the dream of world-class ports and fishing support infrastructure because I wanted the fishermen in our oceans and lakes to be able to gain more from the sweat of their brow.
I looked at a nation whose potential was being limited by road connectivity and I vowed to open up Kenya to ourselves and to the world.
The result was that once sleepy villages and towns roared to life, becoming vibrant centres for economic and social activities.
The result was the appreciation in the value and utility of land in many rural and peri-urban areas, instantly elevating hundreds of thousands of homes out of poverty.
Similarly, as we learn from our history, when the colonizers built the Kenya-Uganda Railway, some people called it the ‘Railway to Nowhere’ passing through a swamp called Nairobi.
But to the colonizers, the railway was NOT the end game.
