GOOD NEWS FROM STATE HOUSE: Statement by State House Spokesperson following media enquiries on National Dialogue, 8th June, 2014 The National Rebirth Conference was initiated by His Excellency the President of the Republic of Kenya, Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta in January 2014 as part of the Government’s Social Transformation Agenda. Conference Organising Committee The Conference was being organized and coordinated by a Committee, co-chaired by the UN resident coordinator. The technical committee includes teams from the Ministry of Devolution and Planning, headed by PS Eng. Peter Mangiti, United Nations Development Program Kenya, led by Nardos Bekele- Thomas, teams from the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), the Chamber of Commerce and religious institutions among others. The conference organization is supported by the national dialogue advisory committee that is composed of former PS Justice, Mr Gichira Kibara, and former PS Planning Dr Edward Sambili among others. Conference dates not yet established The dates of the conference are not yet set but had been proposed for July, 2014 – we will advice all Kenyans once a date is established. However, after the politicization of the conference, it has now been postponed indefinitely. Purpose of the Conference The main purpose of the original Conference is SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION AGENDA. Allow me to remind you that the founding theme and driving vision of the Jubilee Manifesto is Transforming Kenya – Securing Kenya’s Prosperity. The Jubilee Manifesto also states that – The Coalition partners are determined to transform Kenyans’ quality of life and to secure the future of generations to come. As you can see, this agenda -- the Social Transformation Agenda -- was thought out by this Government even before the 2013 elections. It is not a new agenda but it is a very important one. We had wanted to have a discussion between and among local and international leaders about how Kenya can centralize its core functions to the “national values and principles of governance” as outlined in Article 10 of our Constitution. The theme of the conference, as outlined in its concept note was; “National Rebirth: Actualizing the transformation of Kenya”. This conference was to be an all- inclusive platform that sought to generate concrete transformative proposals that would guide national policy making across constituent parts of the Kenyan society. Essentially, it was a concept that will be a guide towards the achievement and attainment of a national rebirth through a process that would be led by all leaders, and one that will culminate in the transformation of our society through the firm adoption of our national values and principles. The conference was to be about a nation undergoing transformation through the adoption of its national values and principles. The conference was to include sessions that would discuss; • Social transformation for national development; • The role of institutions in driving national social transformation; • The role of political leaders in the attainment of national transformation. Leaders from across the political divide, county governments, key heads of constitutional institutions, the media, the private sector, faith-based organizations, civil society and trade unions were to be invited to discuss their role in the Social Transformation Agenda. Conference Participants The conference participants were to reflect the face of KENYA with input from international partners. Key local and international speakers and panellists to be invited included; a. H.E. Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya b. H.E. William Ruto, Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya c. H.E. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia d. H.E. Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda e. H.E.Jorge Carlos Fonseca, President of Cape Verde f. H.E. Navin Ramgoolam, Prime Minister of Mauritius g. H.E. Thambo Mbeki, former President of South Africa h. H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission i. Ms. Helen Clark – former, Prime Minister of New Zealand and UNDP Administrator j. Hon. Ekwe Ethuro, Speaker of the Senate k. Hon. Justin Muturi , Speaker of the National Assembly l. Chairperson, Council of Governors and Governor of Bomet County – Isaac Ruto m. Hon. Dr. Willy Mutunga, Chief Justice n. Hon. Raila Odinga o. Hon. Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka p. Hon. Musalia Mudavadi q. Hon. Martha Karua r. Director-General, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) - Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi s. Prof. Calestus Juma - (Professor, Harvard University) t. Chairperson, Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution CIC - and, Chairperson, Forum of Chairpersons of Constitutional Commissions and Independent Offices - Mr. Charles Nyachae u. Others – Chair of various Independent Commissions, v. Religious leaders w. Private Sector leaders x. Civil society organizations among others. Each sector – from the Executive, the Legislature as represented by the National Assembly and Senate, the Judiciary, to the Private Sector as led by KEPSA and the Chamber of Commerce, the Governors Council, Civil Society, the Independent Commissions and political leaders were to be invited to discuss what their ROLES were in the SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION AGENDA Public Participation We were also keen to get every Kenyan to understand what the Social Transformation Agenda was about – and were to soon roll out a national campaign to inform, educate and call for the participation of the public in the Social Transformation Agenda. CONCLUSION This conference was an extremely important conference, and it would have been great if it was to be supported by all Kenyans. This conference was about all of us – it was about the Kenya we want to see in the next 50 years. We all have a role to play in the Social Transformation Agenda – it is an Agenda that must be owned and embraced by every Kenyan. However, as said, since the politicization of this conference, it has since been postponed indefinitely. Manoah Esipisu, State House Spokesperson. By Denniss Itumbi.a
Posted on: Sun, 08 Jun 2014 16:10:25 +0000