Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta's Speech at the Jubilee Manifesto Launch

MANIFESTO LAUNCH SPEECH

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Friends, it is my great pleasure to welcome you to the launch of the joint

manifesto of The National Alliance, The United Republican Party, the

National Rainbow Coalition and the Republican Congress Party of

Kenya.

When we launched our coalition We promised to go to the people and

seek their view on the content of this manifesto in keeping with our

motto tuna amini kusema na kutenda we have done just that.

Unlike others, our manifesto is not a dormant and lifeless write-up

destined for safe storage away from wananchi’s scrutiny. Rather, it is a

living document whose evolution is set to benefit from the contribution

of every Kenyan.

We believe in the spirit of our people, their ability, their hope and desire

for a better future and their commitment to this future if given the

opportunity.

The Jubilee Coalition has come together because we believe in Kenya.

We stand here united by vision and united for our country. We know the

challenges our people face are great but we know that the opportunities

for Kenya are greater still.


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We stand together to give our people that opportunity to make

themselves as good as they can be

I want to take a moment to tell you how this Coalition came into being.

The Jubilee Coalition was not founded as a political outfit, on the

contrary it, was born in the process of seeking a lasting solution to the

violence that has wracked our nation so often in the past.

Mistrust, frustration and anger has too often led to violence as different

communities, worried about their future, have fought each other over

resources and access to power. More often than not, this has been fuelled

by politicians in their quest for political office and power.

Since the advent of multiparty politics elections in 1992, we have seen a

cycle of violence that has led to death and destruction of property

peaking every five years. The most serious occurrence of this violence

was witnessed in 2007/8 when over 1,300 Kenyans lost their lives and

over 300,000 were forced to flee their homes. The trauma of this cycle

of violence has dominated our national dialogue ever since.


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This violence must end. Our nation must heal, our people must come

together, with the realisation - that as difficult as it may seem - we need

each other. The solution should be obvious to all – we must learn to live

with one another, trust one another, to respect one another as Kenyans,

love one another.

This year marks 50 years since the birth of our nation - this is our jubilee

year. As the Bible tells us the year of the Jubilee is the year of healing

and forgiveness. It is the year of renewal.

My brother William Ruto and I were once on opposite sides but we

agreed to put our differences aside and come together as leaders to end

this cycle of violence and bring enduring peace, this has been our Jubilee

journey. We met with the leadership of our two communities, elders and

youth, in private to allow them to speak freely about the issues that have

led to the violence.

These meetings grew, and led to others, and then to public rallies where

we prayed together and publicly asked the communities to forgive one


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another and to move on, to respect one another and not, ever, slip back

to the dark days of violence.

The overwhelming support we received in this endeavour is manifested

in the fact that people returned to their land and were welcomed back,

the businesses that had closed down were reopened and communities

have started to mend the bridges and repair the relationships that were

fractured as a result of the violence.

It was in the process of achieving these milestones that a political

alliance was forged, not with the interest of power, but built on the

common understanding and commitment to build a united country. We

do not imagine that we can dispel all ethnic animosity and violence over

night, but we must stay the course - because we believe in Kenya.

We believe in Kenya - That is the spirit in which the new constitution

was adopted.

Our nation has made progress in implementing that constitution,

strengthening the rule of law and reforming the judiciary over the last

few years. As the Jubilee Coalition we shall continue to lend our

unwavering support to these reforms that are so vital to peace and

stability in our country.


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That peace and stability has been tested in the past - often times

needlessly. I do not intend to continue to discuss our nation solely in the

context of the challenges that it has faced, instead I propose to offer

solutions that will create opportunities that will help us overcome our

difficulties.

We need to break with the past.

It is now time to consign the days of strife to history. That is why we

formed this coalition. We know that we have created the right team, to

not only make Kenya’s Vision 2030 a reality, but also to deliver

accelerated economic growth, higher living standards, and more jobs.

Most importantly, the Coalition is dedicated to radically address the

inexcusable poverty and inequality that exists in our country today.

The Jubilee Coalition is more than a political grouping; it is a national

movement for peace, unity, development and transformative leadership

for the people of Kenya.

Kenya has arrived at a turning point in her history. It is the time to fully

embrace our destiny, the time to rededicate ourselves to the task of

nation building and to the pursuit of the promise that hard work,


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discipline and action will bring – A life of prosperity, dignity, peace,

harmony and plenty within our borders.

IT IS TIME TO RENEW KENYA!

A renewed Kenya where we celebrates our diverse cultures and history

A renewed Kenya where we forge a new future of peace, unity and

tolerance.

A renewed Kenya where we shed our history of ethnic tension and social

division

A renewed Kenya where all of us irrespective of who we are, whatever

our ethnic or religious identity, whether men or women, whether we are

young or old, put our country first-

That is the future we aim to build - a place where we all live as one

nation and one people.


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Ladies and gentlemen, we will build on the successes in economic

growth seen in recent years under his Excellency President Kibaki’s

Government, through the building of infrastructure such as roads, fibre

optic cables, electricity and water supplies - the President has delivered

vast improvements in our nation’s hardware. However, our mission is to

ensure that every Kenyan shares in that growth. Our mission is to build

our nation’s software. The measure of our success will not just be how

much wealth we create but also how many benefit from it.

We all talk of unity, umoja – but that needs to be more than just a word,

if we as Kenyans are to build the kind of society that we want our

children to inherit it must become a way of life. A society where every

citizen, whoever they are, wherever they live, will have the same

opportunity to succeed and prosper, free of discrimination-open or

hidden.

Our Coalition is a symbol of the change we will bring to Kenya. That

change must transform the lives of ordinary Kenyans by giving them the

means to help themselves, empowering them to make the choices they

want about their own lives.

In order to do so, there are serious issues that we must address. First and

foremost among these is the land question. It has been the running sore

that has poisoned relations between communities, prompting suspicion


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and driven dispute and even been used to politically attack me as an

individual.

While our opponents seek short-term political advantage we seek to

provide long-term solutions.

Land is always seen as a source of problems in Kenya – when it can

instead be the tool we use to create wealth and opportunity for all

Kenyans. The time has come to settle this issue, to end the discord and

argument.

For too long in Kenya we have talked about the Land Question – now

we need to find the Land Answer.

Fellow Kenyans please allow me to dwell on this subject for a while.

You all know that when the Colonial Government established itself in

Kenya it created 3 categories of land ownership. First was the land taken

by the Colonial Government for its own use which was called Crown

Land, second was the land given to settlers as private land and lastly

what remained was assigned to Africans as Native Reserves. Back in

1954 under the Swynnerton Plan some Native Reserves saw a process of

adjudication, consolidation and registration that gave titles to Africans.


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At independence our Government inherited Crown Land and renamed it

Government land, today this accounts for 13% of the country’s total land

mass. Native Reserves became trust land vested in local county councils.

Even after independence the settlers kept their land under private title, or

sold it to Africans on a ‘willing buyer, willing seller’ basis. And today

private land is something bought & sold like any other commodity –

altogether that private land accounts for 20% of our country.

Land in those Reserves that were not adjudicated and given back to

Africans is now called Community Land under the new Constitution and

is to be managed by the National Land Commission. This category of

land presently accounts for about two-thirds, 67% of the total land in

Kenya.

My fellow Kenyans,

Each one of these categories of land carries its own problems.

Government land has often been poorly used and managed. As trustee of

the nation’s assets, the Jubilee Government will reform its management


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and ensure that it is used in the public interest and for the benefit of all

Kenyans.

The second category of land, private land – suffers from subdivision &

fragmentation leading to smaller and smaller parcels being passed on to

new buyers or successive generations. This has meant that in some parts

of the country land parcels have become so small that they are no-longer

viable for agriculture. The long-term economic consequence is that

farmers can no-longer support themselves or their families. In urban

areas overcrowded informal settlements or slums have grown and this

trend is now being reflected even in densely populated rural areas.

As a government, we will provide wider economic opportunities – so

that people, especially in rural areas, do not feel that the only way they

can make a living is tilling ever-smaller parcels of land using a jembe

and a panga. We aim to reverse the process of fragmentation and instead

institute a process of reconsolidation that will create viable land

holdings.

While our policies will be deliberate the process of reconsolidation will

be voluntary and driven by the availability of better opportunities across

the country. And we will build spinal


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infrastructure such as roads, rail, water supplies and electricity to

support new local centres where people can live and work.

Our programme for skills, training and economic development will

ensure that a life on the land, using modern, mechanized farming

methods is a matter of choice not one of necessity – as we give new

alternatives for the youth to earn a living.

My fellow Kenyans, let me now turn to Community land.

Today, 60 years after the Swynnerton Plan was initiated 67% of land in

Kenya has still not been adjudicated and has no title. It is community

land but those communities who live on it have no real rights. The only

thing we have done is to change the name of that category of land and

the bureaucracy, that from time to time is responsible for its

management. The truth is that there has been no fundamental attempt to

answer the land question in Kenya since Swynnerton. For too long the

land debate has been about a small fraction of the land while the fact that

two thirds of our country is untitled has remained unnoticed and never

part of the debate.


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The new Constitution recognizes that there is a problem but it does not

provide a solution. My Government will be committed to finally giving

the Land Answer.

People living on community land suffer disadvantages not suffered by

people living on their own land – they cannot unlock commercial value

of that land, public bodies are hampered from providing services as it is

effectively no-man’s land, individuals cannot invest & develop the land

as they do not no whether one day they maybe moved on. This

Insecurity means they cant invest, even on their own housing. Above all

– they can’t raise capital or seek investment from others. We have turned

them into squatters on their own land - they are condemned to poverty –

living in a kind of economic limbo, while those who have private titles

are able to get credit, invest in their land and consequently enjoy the

phenomenal rise in value that we continue to witness.

The existence of these different categories of land, private & community

has led to skewed development across the country, with millions missing

out on the benefits.

Giving these people the right to own the land they live on will increase

food production, create more investment, improve housing & health

outcomes – it would allow individuals to take charge of their own lives,


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rely on their own efforts, it would minimize disputes over ownership

between individual, families & communities. My Government will be

committed to giving people the title to their own land – 60 years after

Swynnerton Kenyans deserve to have that process completed.

We will do this not just in rural areas but also in urban areas where

informal settlements abound.

When we look at the slums in our great cities we see poverty, but it is

time we saw the opportunities to generate wealth that lies there-in.

Take any slum, take Kibera, which has become famous for the depth of

its poverty – visitors to our country are often taken to Kibera to see

levels of deprivation & erosion of human dignity that its resident bear.

Yet, Kibera is some of the most valuable land in Nairobi – rough

estimates of its value put the worth of area of land in Kibera at over

KSH 60 billion – people of are literally walking over KSH 60 billion

which they own – yet they have been denied by their politicians the

chance of unlocking that wealth because they have been denied the title

to their land. My Government will be committed to giving them the title

to that land which is the key to unlocking KSH60bn for the people of

Kibera!


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It will be the responsibility of my Government to help organize the

people of Kibera so that the community who own this land can reap its

benefits – perhaps through local societies or community trusts or directly

as property owners. My Government will work with the people of

Kibera who will be the owners of the land they live on, and with

financiers & developers to put up decent, high rise, high value homes

and businesses, which the people of Kibera will own themselves and no-

one else. We will transform a slum into a thriving new community –

without a single eviction or compulsory demolition! This is the model

we intend to use in other areas where people live in slums.

With regard to the issue of squatters – my Government will give them

rights to land aswell, but we will work through the law and with owners

of this land to find appropriate compensation mechanism for them. This

will allow us to adjudicate the rights of squatters so that they have firm

title too. For all those Kenyans who have been displaced whether by

violence or by Government policy on forest conservation or inter-ethnic

conflict and have waited to long for their pleas to be answered – we hear

you and our Government will accelerate and complete the resettlement

efforts that are currently underway.

To complete my programme on land reform we are committed to

digitizing & decentralizing the land registry, to scrap search fees & other


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fees imposed by land tribunals. I believe that government services for

land should be free to the people of Kenya, the Government should not

place unnecessary roadblocks and obstacles to people doing transactions

over their own land.

I have taken time to give this matter the consideration it deserves. I don’t

want to score cheap political points, indeed I welcome other ideas that

will help resolve this issue from whatever source they come. Land was

the basis on which the war of independence was waged – it is too serious

a matter to be become a political football, too much blood has been shed

in this country for that.

Politicians, especially those seeking the highest office in the land, should

not use it as a stone to throw at one another. This issue requires serious,

steady consideration and judgment and answers designed to provide a

long-term solution not short-term political advantage.

Ladies and gentlemen, the last 10 years has seen extraordinary change in

Kenya – just a walk round Nairobi can show you that, construction is

taking place on every corner, new cars crowd the streets and new malls

are full of busy shoppers. A new generation has embraced technology

and made our country a high tech leader in Africa. But there is another

Kenya – one that is not shining, one where people struggle every day to


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feed their families, sometimes going hungry themselves so that their

children can eat.

In this other Kenya the last decade has not been so bright: a generation

has grown up never knowing the dignity and sense of self-worth that a

job brings. In this other Kenya when the rains have failed to come

people have lost their lives and livelihoods. In this other Kenya mothers

have seen their children die from diseases that we learnt to cure decades

ago and Kenyans have had to suffer the indignity of queuing for relief

food in order to survive.

So two Kenyas have grown up side by side.

We have built islands of wealth in a sea of poverty, gated communities

guarded by armies of security guards looking out over slums where a

lost generation of young people feel that they have been forgotten by the

country they love.

In villages far beyond the end of the tarmac, there has seemed to be no

alternative to the life, people have lived for a thousand years, struggling

to survive, hoping to raise enough cattle or grow enough food to feed

their families.

We cannot go on like this any more. The task of the next Government is

to build One Kenya, One Kenya where all our citizens have the

opportunities to move ahead and to take control of their lives.


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The role of government is to provide basic services such as spinal

infrastructure, to keep its people safe, to administer justice and provide a

social safety net. But beyond this, our duty is to empower individuals,

families & communities, to enforce the rules of fairness & to give all

Kenyans a chance to thrive & excel.

The scourge of poverty and unemployment still stalks our nation,

robbing millions of hope. Over 70% of young people in Kenya do not

have jobs. We need to create the jobs for our people, jobs for our youth

and securing them will be my first task as President.

We want to see a society where people are able to get jobs, that enhance

the dignity of the individual & allows them to provide for their family,

creating self reliant individuals who can engage with society rather than

waiting for handouts.

In order to do that we need a serious government that puts in place the

economic foundations for growth. 10 years ago our nation’s budget was

barely KSH 200 billion a year, today it stands at over KSH 1 trillion and

95% of what we spend comes from here in Kenya. That is a sign of

what we can do, of what we can become as a nation – strong and self-

reliant, doing things for ourselves not looking to others, to do it for us.


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Today we have the opportunity to rebuild the Kenyan economy so that it

is fit to compete in the world. Our policies are designed to allow

Kenyans of all ages, economic backgrounds and communities to take

part in the effort to build that economy. Through these policies this

Coalition will enable, inspire and equip all Kenyans to stand tall and

reclaim their dignity. Our government will be growth-led, focused on

creating jobs for the millions of young people without work. These will

be real jobs with real prospects for their future.

Kenya must be at the heart of the growing East African economy,

exporting goods to our neighbours and across the world. We need to

attract new investors, both domestic and international, who will help

create a manufacturing base that can employ our youth and give them

the skills they need to get ahead in life.

Why is it that Kenyans spend billions of shillings a year on imported

goods and services, such as televisions, fridges and cars when so many

of our people are unemployed?

Why is it that other countries around the world who 50 years ago were

no wealthier than Kenya are now economic powerhouses?

Why is it that in South Korea the youth and women receive training and

support so that they can bid for government contracts – while here they

struggle to even open the door to banks?


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We can no longer afford to hobble through high taxes, excessive

bureaucracy and corruption. We must seize the chance offered by the

start of this ‘The African Century’ to remake ourselves as an African

Lion economy.

By building industries here at home we can create the kind of economy

that will generate 5 million new jobs over the next 5 years. We must

grow Kenyan industry, both small and large, attracting foreign while

mobilizing domestic resources, adding value to our products and

mechanizing agriculture and improving access to markets for

agricultural produce.

Our promises are based on an understanding of the problems we face

and a determination to deliver real results for every Kenyan.

We do not claim that this will be easy, but to those who say we cannot

achieve our objectives I say that we cannot afford not to try. For too long

we have watched the hopes and dreams of Kenyans turn to despair and

then turned to violent ends. Our coalition will not stand idly by and

watch the dreams of more Kenyans destroyed.

That is why we, in our year of Jubilee, the year of renewal, pledge to

transform Kenya into a nation of hope and opportunity.

The goal of the Jubilee Coalition is an independent Kenya with a self-

reliant people. My Government will be committed to policies designed


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to give Kenya its place in the world, as a leader in Africa, and a partner

around the globe.

Africa is at the cusp of a rebirth - a renewal that for the first time since

the Europeans arrived sees our continent driving the world economy. As

recession bites across Europe and the West and costs rise in China and

the East the world is at last turning its attention to Africa. Last year 8 out

of the top 10 fastest growing economies in the world were to be found in

Africa.

Ladies and gentlemen,

This provides us with a tremendous opportunity to transform the

fortunes of millions of ordinary people across the continent, not least

here at home in Kenya. It also gives us the strength to make our own

choices and decisions about our future.

Kenya has long been a friend of the West, and we will always be but the

world has become a global market place and Kenya must find its place

if we are not just to survive but to grow and prosper. Kenya can and

must retain its old friendships but we must forge new ones as well.

In this the 50th year of our independence we must have the faith in our

own energies, creativity and talent to make our own choices. Why did

our fathers and mothers struggle for independence if not to give us the

opportunity to seize this moment? This can be the African Century –


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Kenya’s Century - but only if we have the courage to rely on our own

abilities not just as individuals but also as a nation.

When men and women come together in the future to write the history

of this time, what will they say of our choices? Will they say that

Kenyans turned away from facing down our challenges and sought

shelter in the arms of others or will they record that we seized this

moment and came of age?

Will they say that we chose this moment to renew our country or that we

left our burdens on the shoulders of our children?

I believe that the Kenyan people will make the right choice, for

themselves, their families and their country. And I believe that the

Jubilee Coalition will be ready to answer their call when they do.

We in Jubilee have audaciously re-imagined a brand new Kenya. We

have dared to dream afresh.

In keeping with our motto tuna amini kusema na kutenda, we have

already made plans to act on day one to start transforming Kenya. In the

first 100 days of the Jubilee Government we will take measures to make

Kenya a fairer, healthier and better educated country.


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• One - We will release the money that has already been allocated to

stock local health centres and dispensaries with the drugs and

equipment necessary to treat Kenyans when they fall ill.

• Two - We will abolish the fees that are currently charged when

Kenyans go to public dispensaries and health centres for treatment.

• Three - We will abolish all charges for women giving birth at

public hospitals

• Four - We will pass legislation to ensure that no child is out of

school or a training institution until they reach the age of 18

• Five - We will provide every child entering standard 1 in primary

school with a solar powered laptop. We shall sustain this

programme for each succeeding year until the day when every

child in the country will walk with a satchel and a laptop.

These are things that we can do quickly – they are in effect a promisory

note on the change that we will deliver as a Government. Beyond this, to

truly change our country for the better we need a comprehensive

legislative agenda.

When Parliament meets for the first time I will present the National

Assembly and Senate with a detailed Programme of Government that

will outline the Bills I want them to pass in order to implement the

policy agenda outlined in this manifesto.


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On March 4th we will begin our voyage to reach the New Kenya.

For those Kenyan who vote for me – and equally for those who don’t –

we will work tirelessly for the next 5 years to earn your respect, your

trust, and your faith. I understand I will be judged by what I accomplish

for you, and not by what I have simply promised.

The mistakes of the past will not be repeated, and at the end of my

Presidency I will welcome that judgment.

[PAUSE]

The journey maybe long

The tides maybe against us at times

The waves maybe high and dangerous

But our course will be true

We have but only one choice, do we go forward or back?

Do we embrace hope and change and sail on or do we cling to fear and

division?

I believe that however treacherous the seas, the Kenyan people know the

way that they must take


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I believe that with God’s grace, and with the strength, ingenuity and the

determination of our people we will safely arrive at our journey’s end.

The burden of carrying Kenya forward has fallen on the shoulders of the

Jubilee generation.

We have the drive to take Kenya forward

We have the vigour and strength to carry Kenya forward

We have the ideas and innovations to see us through

We are ready to work

We can make it because we believe

Yes, I believe in Kenya!

Good Bless you and God bless the Republic of Kenya.

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Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta's Speech at the Jubilee Manifesto Launch

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