World bank support

Mwai Kibaki Monday thanked the World Bank for the enhanced partnership it is providing to the Government for the benefit of the people of Kenya .

The President, however, emphasized the need for the Bretton Woods Institution to scale up its support in the spirit of the strengthened partnership given the challenges of unemployment the country is facing.

President Kibaki was speaking at a meeting with World Bank Vice-President for Africa Region, Ms Obiageli Ezekwesili, who paid him a courtesy call at his Harambee House office.

The Head of State pointed out that the partnership between the Government and the World Bank should be based on mutual trust and respect and should allow room for each partner to provide a candid assessment of how the relationship is performing.

On the reform agenda, President Kibaki, once again, reiterated the Government's commitment to implementing reforms that will stimulate rapid economic growth.

The World Bank Vice-President for Africa Region, on her part, assured President Kibaki of the Bank's continued support for Kenya 's structural and institutional reforms.

Ms Ezekwesili said the World Bank was keen to dialogue with the Government on the way forward on areas of future cooperation to be agreed on under a new Country Assistance Strategy that the Bank is developing to cover the period 2009 -2014.

The World Vice-President for Africa Region was accompanied by World Bank Country Director Johannes Zutt.

Currently, Kenya 's project portifolio supported by World Bank consists of 19 active operations with a total commitment of Kshs 125 billion.

The financial resources are targeted to finance 16 national and three regional projects ranging from infrastructure, arid and semi arid lands, agriculture, education, health, water and sanitation.

As a demonstration of the enhanced partnership, the World Bank and the Government of Kenya signed four additional credits amounting to Kshs 30.9 billion in February this year to finance projects in roads, energy, environment and agriculture sectors and a social programme being developed jointly with the Bank.

Present during the meeting were Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Uhuru Kenyatta, the Head of Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet Amb. Francis Muthaura and Treasury PS Joseph Kinyua.