SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY HON. UHURU KENYATTA, C.G.H., PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE DEFENCE FORCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA DURING THE NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE RECRUITS AT NATIONAL YOUTH SERVICE COLLEGE, GILGIL ON 10TH SEPTEMBER, 2014 It is a great pleasure to join you today. It is gratifying to see thousands of young Kenyans parade so precisely. You have excelled in your training and instruction, and been found worthy of national service. This is especially stirring, for many of you come from tough backgrounds and have overcome great odds to be here. Your endurance, dedication and discipline inspire me. I also know that the National Youth Service is marking the Golden Jubilee of its founding. The inaugural cadre is now old enough to be the grandparents of the graduands before us. They have done their part to make Kenya better, and their contribution has been felt right through our nation’s life. Many held positions of leadership and influence, and are well- known to us. It is heartening that they remained loyal to the ideals of service and discipline, empowering many young people and building the nation in innovative and visionary ways. This parade is then a culmination of decades of continual improvement; a rite of passage for young people who have excelled; and a time for renewal and rededication for the institution. If no one has told you this before, I assure you today that this nation is grateful for all the achievements and contributions of the National Youth Service over those years. But your successes also mean that Kenyans expect even better from the reformed institution. We trust that you will not let the nation down, and will deliver with vigour and vision. At independence, the challenges facing the nation were reflected in the vision and orientation of the Service. The early years of the service were devoted to basic education, technical skills and formal employment. Kenya has advanced in many ways. Our youth now confront modern challenges. The vision and strategies that served the nation so well for so long now need adaptation for our times. Aside from opportunities for expressing their talent and skill as well as finding employment, our youth also grapple with questions of identity and relevance. A key promise that the Jubilee Alliance made to Kenya touches on the empowerment of underrepresented groups and marginalised communities. An inclusive, cohesive, stable nation – that is our vision. Without the young people of this country, that vision will be little more than a dream. But we knew that if we empowered our youth, they would cultivate the skills they needed to build a free and flourishing modern nation. The launch of the new Service accords with my Government’s commitment to enhance the role of young people in national transformation and prosperity. Our youth agenda is a rich array of initiatives, including the expanded Youth Fund, the Uwezo Fund, the Youth Access to Government Procurement Opportunities and the involvement of youth in critical decision-making and leadership. The resources we have dedicated to the agenda are immense. The Uwezo Fund alone is a KShs. 6 billion kitty. The new Service has received KShs. 22.4 billion to execute its 5-point vision in this financial year. And this is only the beginning. But the new resources, and the new realities, demand a new ability to engage innovatively, dealing with contemporary challenges and making sense of novel opportunities in order to satisfy a new generation of Kenyans. A new vision is therefore an appropriate starting point, if we are to get it right. I admire the new vision and its pillars. Through it, the Service will recruit 22,000servicemen and women in two intakes for training. The intakes will be diverse, inclusive and affirmative. These young people are expected to mentor and work with more than 200,000 of their neighbours in nation-building work. The range of activities is wide. First, dams and civil works, sanitation and hygiene, community security and the like – all these will be supported, right through the country. Second, the Service will also engage in charity work, serving the deprived, and distributing emergency supplies. In conjunction with ex-servicemen and women, it will also deliver traffic control, public security and other critical tasks. Third, the Service will also take up civic competence and specialised vocational training in a number of areas;Engineering, Hospitality,and Oil and Gas will be prominent among them. Fourth, to support self-employment and self-reliance in our young people in the jua kali sector, the Service will introduce revolving funds. These will be run through a Self-Employment Promotion Unit, through NYSSACCOs, as well as an Integrated Construction Company offering training and certification for our young people. Ladies and Gentlemen, We could go on. But the heart of the matter is that the Service is transforming itself to accommodate the demands of the day. Let me remind the management of the Service of their responsibility. Transformative leadership is difficult, but you must deliver consistently and to the highest standard. Integrity and patriotism must be your watchword. Failure is not an option, for Kenya’s builders and leaders are in your hands. Let me now speak to every young person in our country. You are our nation’s promise and hope. We trust that when it comes time for you to shoulder heavy duties, you will not be found wanting. You must be ready. Youth passes ever so quickly, yet it is a golden opportunity to prepare to be citizens of great impact. It is your time to realise your potential and achieve your dreams. Your youth must not be wasted. Build your ability. Develop your talent. Nurture your skills. You must be ready and able to serve. Service requires diligence, grace and patriotism. It is diligence that I will stress here. Everyone who works is enriched and ennobled by it. The dignity of work is the source of all lasting reward, be it prestige or profit. As your brother, as your President, as a public servant: I call on young Kenyans to dedicate themselves to service. Work for your country. Work for your community. Serve your fellow Kenyan. I ask you this because I know your promise is intact; and because it must never be corrupted or abused. Two days ago, I was dismayed to witness the tragic spectacle of young men being exploited by politicians to commit acts of lawlessness. The organizers of this debacle were irresponsible and unpatriotic. They had no vision to empower those young people, or to engage their constituency in meaningful development. In Migori, the promise of some of our youth was perverted. Ladies and Gentlemen, Let that incident stand as a warning. Our young people must insist on being engaged only in patriotic and productive work. My Government will stand with all those who choose that path. I want our young people to grow in a country without limitations or barriers, and to lead a region and continent without boundaries. Our young people’s potential must not be limited by useless ethnic and regional restrictions. Anyone willing to serve will have their reward. This finally is your day: it is about your promise, and the call to serve. Kenya can rest assured that it has thousands of thoroughly prepared and loyal young patriots at hand to raise it to a new level. I congratulate you, and wish you all the best as you go out to serve. Thank you and God bless you all.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 13:04:45 +0000