1. It is my pleasure to address the inaugural session of the 13th Parliament following the August 9 General Election.
2. It is important to note that we have made very positive progress. This Parliament has recorded the highest number of re-elected MPs ever. In the National Assembly, a record 193 members have been re-elected, 50 more than in 2017, while in the Senate, 17 senators have been re-elected. It confirms the increased confidence of the people of Kenya in their leaders and institutions, affirming the maturity of our democracy.
3. Another milestone is in the election of women legislators elected into single-member constituencies. In this year’s election, 29 women were elected members of the National Assembly, six more than in 2017. This is a manifestation of the growing confidence in the contribution of women leadership in decision-making in our governance and political institutions. I am certain that this positive trend will continue into the future.
4. It is also instructive that the same confidence in Parliament has been shown in the Executive. In 2013, the President was elected with at least 25 per cent of votes in 30 counties, 34 in 2017 and 39 in the just-concluded election, further demonstrating the deepening pluralism and inclusivity of our democracy.
5. I therefore take this special opportunity to congratulate all of you on your election in the last General Election and subsequent nominations.
6. The confidence demonstrated by Kenyans in us and our institutions should inspire us to raise the bar in our service to the nation and accountability to the electorate.
7. It is also my singular honour to congratulate our Speakers, the Honourable Moses Wetang’ula and Honourable Amason Kingi, for overwhelming confidence bestowed on them by members to preside over the respective Houses. I also congratulate members who have been elected to parliamentary leadership positions, and wish each one of you wisdom, strength and success in steering our legislative affairs.
8. We gather here on the tranquil side of a competitive election where we all came to grips with the turbulent energies of political competition that characterise our uniquely Kenyan brand of democracy. It is true this election was an intensely contested one. Nevertheless, that it was peaceful and democratic, again confirms the coming of age of our democracy.
9. I submit to you, that the fact that the election was so close is an indication that what unites us is always much more greater than what divides us. With the support of Kenyans, we have dislodged ethnicity as the central organising principle of our politics, thereby retiring – for good - the ethnic mobilisation and personality cults, together with their culture and practices of exclusion, discrimination, patronage, tribalism and nepotism.
10. We took this assignment further, with a paradigm shift of issue-based political leadership anchored in credible platforms, feasible programs and transformative commitments aimed at positively affecting the well-being of all Kenyans, from the bottom up.
11. In summary, and this only happens in Kenya, the sitting Deputy President became the candidate of the Opposition and the Leader of Opposition became the candidate of the government, and as things would be, the opposition candidate won the election and became President and the President became the leader of the opposition party. That’s the beauty of our democracy.
12. In the process, we affirmed the sovereignty of the people of Kenya as the ultimate decision makers as envisaged in the constitution.
13. I promised to lead an administration dedicated to the just and fair government of all Kenyans, in order to deliver a Kenya for everyone. I commit to be the loyal, hard working, devoted President of every Kenyan, and my administration will serve all, without regard to any distinction, real or imagined. Certainly, service delivery under my administration shall be impartial regardless of political affiliation or voter preference. Kenya is our home, and we remain united as one strong family.
14. For these reasons, I want to persuade you that the legislative agenda I stand here to prosecute deserves the bi-partisan support of this House. My administration is pursuing a transformational program that offers a uniquely all-Kenyan moment which calls for unity of purpose in the legislature. We are committed to serving all people, in all wards of each constituency and all counties in every region, throughout the Republic of Kenya. After all, we all serve the same boss: the people, and their sovereign interests are our operating principle and purpose.
15. I will run an administration that is open, that is transparent, and my administration will rely on oversight from this House to make sure the public gets value for every cent invested in every policy, program and project.
16. Consequently, I ask Parliament to consider a mechanism in the Standing Orders to facilitate Cabinet Secretaries articulate government agenda, explain policy and answer questions on the floor of the House to enhance executive accountability to the people of Kenya through their elected representatives. On this matter of oversight and holding government accountable, my administration commits to restore place of Parliament in our democracy by respecting the autonomy and oversight authority of Parliament on the executive.
17. Equally, I am a firm believer in democracy and the rule of law. That is why my first executive action when I took office was to undo a legacy of acts and omissions that had incrementally undermined the independence of the Judiciary. For avoidance of doubt, the Judiciary is an arm of government just like this Parliament, and my administration will be intentional in respecting the constitutionally mandated system of checks and balances.
18. It is in this spirit that I will be seeking additional resources to support the bottom-up scaling of justice and empower the Judiciary to acquire capacity and develop the infrastructure needed to more efficiently adjudicate and expeditiously conclude corruption cases, commercial disputes and all other matters.
Honourable Speakers, honourable members,
19. To implement the pledges and commitments set out in our ‘PLAN’, my administration is committed to investing in the requisite enablers and infrastructure to provide a sound foundation for its execution. These are interventions intended to create a conducive environment for effective, efficient and sustainable realisation of our national transformation.
20. We are on a mission to dramatically scale up productivity in agriculture and make sure that every Kenyan farmer, fisherman and pastoralist contributes to sustainable economic growth by contributing to adequate and affordable food, generating greater incomes and producing the raw materials required by the agro-industrial and manufacturing value chains. This will boost Kenya’s export performance, and create millions of jobs.
