President Uhuru Kenyatta has led Kenyans in marking the 57th Mdaraka Day celebrations.
Unlike previous years, the celebrations were held at State House, Nairobi due to the Covid-19 pandemic which calls for social distancing.
Speaking before the Head of State addressed the nation, Deputy President William Ruto urged leaders and Kenyans to join hands and work together with President Kenyatta to mitigate the effects of Covid-19.
“Your excellency, as a people we are confident that under your leadership, the government will take the necessary decisions to ensure we mitigate and minimise the effects of this pandemic,” said DP Ruto.
And while addressing Kenyans, President Kenyatta said that the country needs to be at its best even in midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
“This corona moment we are in is indeed a dark moment but the founders of our nation required us to be at our very best at moments like this,” the President said.
He urged Kenyans to desist from feeding the national psyche with negative energy.
“As we reflect on the progress we have made, look inwards for self-introspection. We should not over-criticise ourselves…If we repeatedly feed our national psyche with negative energy, we become a nation of angry and frustrated people,” he said.
During an address to the nation on Monday, President Uhuru Kenyatta laid out his legacy, pointing out that during his tenure, his government has achieved more in 7 years than all the other three governments combined.
For instance, President Kenyatta noted that at independence Kenya only had a measly 1,800 kilometres of tarmacked roads.
The 1800 kilometres of tarmac had been built by the colonizers in the span of 78 years that they were in Kenya.
“This means every year they only managed to tarmac a total of 23 kilometres.,” President Kenyatta said.
After independence, President’s Jomo Kenyatta, Daniel Moi and Mwai Kibaki in their 50–year tenure built an extra 11,200 kilometres of road. This was 10 times more than what the colonizers had achieved.
President Kenyatta now says that since taking over from Mwai Kibaki, his government has built an average of 1000 kilometres of road every year.
The number, he adds, is 44 times more than what the colonial administration built and 4 times more than what Jomo Kenyatta, Daniel Moi and Mwai Kibaki did in 50 years.
He noted that apart from the SGR, his government has also embarked on reviving the defunct Nairobi-Nanyuki railway line which traverses six counties as well as the soon-t0-start rehabilitation of the Naivasha -Malaba metre gauge .
The president also took a swipe at critics who had nit-picked the government’s work on the Kenyan rail system.
“Turning to railways now, this is where my biggest critiques reside. But that’s ok, they are not alone, they are in fellowship with the colonizers who called our railway the Lunatic Express,” he added.
Additionally, President Kenyatta noted that his government has revived the previously collapsed Port of Kisumu which currently serves the northern and southern corridors.
“And with this port, Kenya can service the region from Mwanza and Bukoba in Tanzania, to Jinja and Entebbe in Uganda; and Muhoma Bay in Rwanda at affordable costs and decent timing,” President Kenyatta added.
The President conferred The Presidential Order of Service, Uzalendo Award.
President Uhuru Kenyatta said the award is in recognition of distinguished and outstanding service to Kenya in helping steer the country through the coronavirus pandemic.
In a Gazette Notice issued on Madaraka Day, the Head of State also conferred the Uzalendo Award to 8 top journalists from Royal Media Services.
They include Managing Director Wachira Waruru,Robin Njogu (Managing Editor for Radio Department), Tabitha Rotich, Chemutai Goin, Vincent Ateya, Enoch Sikolia, Jeff Kuria, Asha Mwilu, Nelson Aruya.
Asha Mwilu, an award-winning journalist who worked as Special Projects Editor at RMS, recently left the company to pursue personal interests.
Other notable individuals who were awarded on Monday are:
- Dr. Patrick Amoth (Health Ministry Director General);
- Major General Ayub Matiiri (head of Operation Kinga Corona);
- Jane Karuku (chairperson of the COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund Board);
- James Mwangi Equity Group Managing Director (member of the COVID – 19 Emergency Fund Board)
- Dr. Thuranira Kaugiria (Nairobi KMPDU branch secretary)
- Dr. Mercy Korir (medical journalist at KTN)
- Phillip Ogolla (renowned humanitarian)
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