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 PRESIDENTS AWARD-KENYA GOLD AWARDS PRESENTATIONS AT THE STATE HOUSE, NAIROBI ON 4 TH OCTOBER, 2013 Young People Ladies and Gentlemen, Good afternoon I welcome you this afternoon to the grounds of State House, and to the Presidents Awards, on what I hope is a visit filled with both inspiration and optimism in the same measure. Optimistic people tend to be joyful. That may be another description of children and young people. They laugh even in the hardest of times. They are cheerful. It is a feature you will find useful as you grow into young leaders. Inspired by greatness they see around them be it in innovation, science, the economy or sport young people can set themselves high standards, and be magnanimous. You can desire to make your lives into something worthwhile. That might explain why, those of us slowly getting into the bracket called old often say that we embrace the youth spirit. At every stage of our life, we still want to at once radiate both simplicity and sophistication, freshness and joy, as well as embrace open attitude -- which many of you might not find hard to come by. We want to innovate and lead change. In essence, the youth spirit full of optimism and hope drives us to nurture our visions and dreams, and steers us away from the sentiment expressed by the celebrated Kenyan playwright Francis Imbuga in Betrayal in the City", when he says: we are busy killing the future. Ladies and Gentlemen Precisely because governments seeks to nurture and plan for the future, we hold a census so we know how many people there are in our nation and other demographic details. Our 2009 census showed that 78 per cent of our population is under the age of 34 years. That means that the enterprise and success of this country lies in that age group. With young people at heart, yesterday I launched the second leg of our National Vision 2030, by which we intend to become a modern, industrialized middleincome country able to provide a high quality of life to all its citizens. As you are aware, the human mind tends to automatically associate Young with Modern. To my Government, therefore, the march to progress will be powered by young energy and young thinking. That is why I take great pleasure today to celebrate the achievements of outstanding young people who have embraced excellence, discipline and service as their way of life. I thank the Presidents Award Kenya, for consistently affording many young people the opportunity to develop their potential, since its founding in 1966, when Kenya was a young Republic.

Although Kenya is no longer a new-born Republic, we remain young at heart, because our society is young. Ideas and activities that engage our young people, for better or worse, therefore strike at the heart of our nation. Crime, drug and sexual abuse are a deadly stain on our social fabric. On the other hand, programmes to empower young people have a serious impact on our potential to grow as a society and attain prosperity. For equipping young people with practical experience and skills to create committed global citizens, the Presidents Award is a splendid programme with profound and lasting impact on national development. My Administration pledged to build an Enterprise Economy within the framework of Vision 2030.We are talking about vast opportunities in ICT, manufacturing, commercial farming and service industry. Part of the strategy is to prepare our young people to compete globally. The only reason we have the confidence to take on the World is the solid proof we have - as leadership - of the limitless potential of young people to embrace new technology, innovate, imagine and create to achieve things that older generations might deem fantastic. All we have to do is make sure that all our youth are accordingly empowered. The constitution is a driver of our development. Devolution and equity, which are the pillars of social justice, political equality and shared prosperity, are underpinned by fundamental rights. These rights form the basis of the constitutional mandate of leadership, founded on National Values and Principles of Governance. The Gold Awardees before us are not just fine young laureates; they are the material from which leadership at its best is made. These are young men and women who have consistently challenged themselves over many years by immersing themselves in activities which developed their physical integrity, leadership skills and volunteerism. In time, their empirical understanding of the cultural diversity of a united Kenya has been enhanced. They have endeavored to excel in all parts of their lives and freely given themselves to service of their fellow citizens. Many alumni of the Award Programme have gone on to serve the country with distinction in various leadership positions. Certainly, they have made a positive and lasting difference. I am confident that the Awardees before us will continue to excel and ultimately serve as leaders in many fields: Government, enterprise, the Academy, the professions, disciplined services and charity. What the Awardees have accomplished to reach this point in their careers is nothing short of our National Values in action. They undertook challenging tasks requiring discipline, leadership, respect, self-reliance, charity, teamwork, entrepreneurship and patriotism to succeed. Political governance, social development and economic transformation demand these attributes - of leadership and citizens - to achieve Vision 2030. Our Olympic and World athletic champions are young people who consistently embrace these values to garner Gold and other medals, just as the young people before us did to win the Gold Award.

Clearly, this is the philosophy and practice of winners. Just as the young people individually win and benefit, our nation will win and benefit out of their leadership. Therefore, more than ever, we now need every institution in Kenya, from Village Councils and religious forums to kindergartens and universities to ensure that the young people they mentor become complete citizens: individuals of integrity, useful members of society and diligent servants. I urge all leaders to pay attention to the civic wholesomeness of our young people. When we grow old, it would be reassuring to be led and protected by such. Like the Gold Awardees, we must all embrace the spirit of volunteerism and foster the spirit of putting the greater good before our own interests, Society before Self and fostering love and peace in our nation. We must impart values early, and persist throughout a persons life to build a strong society. As I stated earlier, the Jubilee Government made youth empowerment a key pledge which we must redeem. Already, we have put in place strategies to redeem our commitment. We launched the Uwezo Fund a few weeks ago, with a seed capital of Kshs 6 billion to avail youth and women with funds to set up small and medium-sized enterprises. We have also directed that 30% of procurement in all public institutions be serviced by enterprises owned by young people and women. The performance contracts in the public service for the 2013/14 financial year contain this requirement as a target. These are only two of various youth-specific affirmative action my government intends to take to enable young people drive our development. Through universities, colleges and institutes of technology we will equip youth with effective and relevant skills to service a modern economy. Already, plans are underway to launch an Open University by December 2014 and to double the number of technology universities in my first term in office. As well, we are developing an internship policy to establish incentives to Industry to avail on-the-job training to young people. We will set up centres of innovation throughout the country to support talented, innovative young people. My Government wants the youth to be in the centre of our prosperity. It would be of immense help if our youth emulated the Gold Awardees to take full advantage of the opportunities availed by these strategies. We also desire that our youth cement the bonds that sustain peace, harmony and unity in our country. I encourage as many young people as possible to engage in peaceful and peace building activities in their communities. By volunteering, they will learn through action, and lead by example. My Administration appreciates the government institutions, civil society and Corporate Kenya that have partnered with the Award scheme. I encourage more organisations to join this noble project. All sections of society have a role in developing and executing a sound and comprehensive youth programme to ensure that the public and private sectors never run out of quality leadership and service. This includes taking deliberate steps to impart ethics and social qualities.

The media: broadcast, literary, Art and Music industries must resist from perpetrating senseless vulgarity and raise the standard of information and entertainment. It is far easier to embrace negative and morally bankrupt strategies in media, but this, invariably, is the Lazy Mans option. Yet we must think of the effects on young minds, and the society we hope to have in future. Edifying, respectful and socially sensitive media will go a long way in complementing efforts to build a harmonious, united society. To the Awardees, I extend to you the congratulations and best wishes of my government and the people of Kenya. You have done well. Let this Award ceremony not mark the end of your pursuit of a more meaningful life. I trust that the passion, focus and commitment which has brought you this far will sustain the rest of your careers and lives. I also look forward to seeing you take up exemplary service, responsibility and leadership. We wish you all the best. God bless you all. Thank you.