NAIROBI, 10 June 2014 (PSCU) – President Uhuru Kenyatta today launched the national and county cohesion and integration dialogue forums and urged leaders to deal with the challenges facing the country instead of hyping them.
He reminded the leaders of their responsibility to serve the cause of national cohesion by treating every Kenyan equally.
Speaking during the launch of the Pamoja Dialogue Initiative to sustain the national cohesion agenda, President Kenyatta said Kenyans know that their leaders must serve the nation not merely their supporters.
“They know that under the new Constitution they chose for themselves, leaders are obliged to serve every Kenyan equally and impartially. Kenyans know from bitter experience that political enmity threatens our very nationhood,” he said.
The President assured that the Jubilee Government will lead the cohesion effort by allocating more resources to the integration initiatives.
“We will give every support to organizations that are loyal to the cause of building cohesion in the country,” President Kenyatta said.
Citing the challenge of religious extremism, the President said Government will not allow anyone to threaten the peace and security of Kenyans.
He called on the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Cohesion and Equal Opportunity to hasten the appointments of the commissioners to the National Cohesion and Integration Commission.
The President also asked the National Assembly to prioritize and pass –without delay – pending legislation that touches on national cohesion and peace-building efforts across the country. He appealed to all Kenyans to complement the national cohesion initiatives, saying a lot will be achieved if the process is all-inclusive.
“Our common life is made up of our individual choices. When we choose to live in peace with our neighbor of a different ethnicity or religion, we make a choice to strengthen our nation,” the President said.
He added: “When we choose to reconcile with those who have hurt us, we choose Kenya over our grievances. But when we choose strife, then in our own small way we weaken our country. In the end, it is the daily choices of ordinary Kenyans that matter most.”
Emphasizing the need to promote reconciliation and healing, the President said the work of the PamojaInitiative in facilitating dialogue between and within groups is not only noble but also nation-building.
He commended the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK), the Inter-Religious Council of Kenya, the National Cohesion and Integration Commission and the Danish International Development Agency for partnering with Government to promote harmony in the country.
“I look forward to working together with these groups to see how we can deal with the challenges that face the country. We recognize that there are challenges. As you start your county dialogues, let these challenges be brought forth so that we can practically address them,” the President said.
President Kenyatta said the effort to unify the country must be consolidated and supported by all irrespective of religious or political affiliation.
“That is how we will become the nation we were meant to be. But the process cannot be merely theoretical. We must have a very clear grasp of what cohesion and integration asks of us,” President Kenyatta said.
Speaking during the occasion, Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Ole Lenku underscored the importance of national cohesion and integration in achieving the country’s development targets. He said Government will not allow the spreading of hatred through heightened political activity.
Joint Committee on National Cohesion and Equal Opportunity Chairman Johnson Sakaja thanked the Danish Embassy, SUPKEM, the Inter-Religious Council of Kenya and the National Cohesion and Integration Commission for bringing together cohesion and integration conference – the first of its kind in the country.
Other speakers included Danish Ambassador Geert Anderson and NCCK General Secretary, Rev. Canon Peter Karanja.
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