| April 26, 2013
President Kenyatta accompanied by the Kwale County Governor Mvurya Salim is entertained by dancers at Ukunda airstrip/PPS
“I want to give you my pledge that as the President of Kenya, I am a president of all and I want to work with all for the benefit of this nation,” he assured.
The Head of State was speaking at State House Mombasa on Thursday evening during a meeting with leaders from all counties in the coastal region.
The Head of State was speaking at State House Mombasa on Thursday evening during a meeting with leaders from all counties in the coastal region.
Saying the country needs to move forward after the election, President Kenyatta pointed out that elections should not be used to create enmity among Kenyans but be viewed positively where competitors shake hands after the contest.
He emphasised that all elected leaders were chosen by Kenyans in the belief that they will serve them well but that cannot be achieved if the leaders engage in endless political bickering.
President Kenyatta said the time for political competition will come again but now is time for the over 40 million Kenyans to be served by the leaders they elected.
“We are done with the election. Let us now join hands in uplifting the standards of living of our people. Let us transform our country and improve our economy for that is the reason why Kenyans lined up for long hours to vote for us,” the president said.
He said he has personally put aside politics and will travel across the country to hold talks with leaders to strategise on how to work together to improve the lives of Kenyans.
President Kenyatta, once again, reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring that devolution is fully implemented as stipulated in the Constitution.
“Kenyans are eager to see the national government performing its duties effectively. They are equally eager to see the county governments operate smoothly and take services closer to wananchi,” President Kenyatta said.
The Head of State affirmed his belief that if fully empowered, county governments will address the countries development needs.
The president however said there is need for the national and county governments to work in harmony to avoid friction and duplication of duties.
Said the president: “If we harmonise our development agenda, we can achieve all that we promised the people of Kenya.”
President Kenyatta reiterated that there will be hiccups and false starts but that should not be interpreted to mean lack of commitment to implement devolution, adding that these should instead be viewed as genuine human mistakes that are made when people are doing things for the first time.
He cautioned political leaders against wasting time, saying they should instead to start working immediately to deliver results to Kenyans.
“I am happy young people have been elected across the country. As a generation of young leaders let us have a new way of doing things, working together in the same spirit,” President Kenyatta said.
In this regard, the Head of State assured Coast leaders that he will work with them in addressing the challenges facing the region including improvement of the infrastructure and the persistent land problem.
“Land is a means of production but not something to always fight for. Let us work together in finding a permanent solution to this problem,” the President said.
Speaking during the meeting, the coastal leaders led by governors and senators from all the six counties of the region pledged to work with the President and the national government in implementing development for the benefit of all Kenyans.
The leaders discussed with the president his development agenda for the coastal region.
They thanked President Kenyatta for his full support to devolution and urged all government officials to emulate him for the devolved system of government to succeed.
Those who spoke during the meeting included governors Hassan Joho of Mombasa, Amason Kingi of Kilifi, Issa Timamy of Lamu, Hussein Dado of Tana River, John Mruttu of Taita Taveta and Salim Mvurya of Kwale.
Others speakers were Senator Omar Hassan of Mombasa and nominated senator Emma Mbura.
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