President Kenyatta at Uhuru Gardens [Photo: Statehouse]
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Sunday made a strong call for national unity as he led the nation in marking this year’s Jamhuri Day, a commemoration 57 years since Kenya became a republic on 12th December 1964.
During his public address at Uhuru gardens, the head of state announced that the lowering of electricity costs in the country by 30% will be implemented in two phases starting this month with a 15% decrease.
On Matters BBI, the president said the legal obstacles it faced are just postponement as constitutional change is inevitable.
“BBI is just a dream deferred. One day, some day, it will happen because just as the country cannot survive ethnic majoritarianism and exclusion, just in the same breath it cannot survive unfair and skewed representation,” stated the Head of State.
The president stated that shelving the constitutional amendment, puts the country under what he termed as majoritarianism and exclusion. Citing the 1991 change into a multiparty political system and the implementation of the 2010 constitution in the aftermath of the 2007/2008 post-election violence, President Kenyatta said nation-building is a dynamic process.
“Liberation was achieved because it was a product of teamwork… and the same is true today as it was then. We are building a house called Kenya and there is no place for one-man-ism in this project. We will disagree at times but in our disagreements we must remain respectful,” said the president.
Meanwhile, Deputy President William Ruto used the 58th Jamhuri day celebrations, to advance his 2022 presidential campaigns, managing at some point to throw in the UDA slogan kazi ni kazi.
Speaking before welcoming President Uhuru Kenyatta to make his official address, Ruto called for merit-based public appointments, and the strengthening of public institutions.