SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY HON. UHURU KENYATTA, C.G.H.

, PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE DEFENCE FORCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA ON THE KENYA POLICE SERVICE RECRUITS PASSING-OUT PARADE AT KIGANJO POLICE TRAINING COLLEGE ON 4TH APRIL, 2014 Fellow Kenyans, It is a privilege to preside over the passing out parade of our new recruits to the police. It is a high calling of service to your nation into which you are inducted today, following the long months of your training. Let me begin by congratulating you all on successfully completing your course. This is no small achievement. You are all aware of the difficult security situation in which Kenya finds itself. We want only the best of our young people to serve in the defence of the republic. welfare of their compatriots are chosen for the honour you are about to receive today. !ccordingly, your course is designed to be difficult enough to remove from consideration those among you who are not of the highest ability. In passing the tests that were set for you, you have shown yourselves devoted to the service of your country, and worthy of the commendation I now bestow upon you. It is my pleasure to recognise your effort, and to urge you to maintain it across the rest of your careers. Ladies and "entlemen, Law enforcement is no career for the fearful or the greedy. You country as#s you to be brave enough to ris# your lives in its defence. Your country also as#s you to be merciful and law abiding, even as you protect it against those who obey no law, and show no mercy. It is a difficult balance to stri#e, but we are confident that the rigorous training through which we have put you has taught you where to draw the line. !nd draw the line you must, because we are different from the terrorists $ unli#e them, we hate cruelty, and obey the law.Four years ago, we chose a new constitution $ a new supreme nly the most dedicated, only the most patriotic, and only those who utterly committed to the

law for ourselves. !ll of us are under that law $ including you, to whom we entrust its enforcement. The highest standards of accountability are e%pected from our public officers, but especially from those whom we trust with the authority to arrest, and to use lethal force in the last resort. These powers are not given to you in vain. They are granted to you because we #now that there are many who would do us harm. In the last few wee#s, we have been reminded that these e%tremists prefer death and destruction to discussion and compromise. The case of &atrine children. 'ut those who are willing to storm our places of worship and shoot defenceless women and children will learn that our will does not bend to their brutality. ruthlessly, decisively and within the law. Ladies and "entlemen, !s our first defence against these e%tremists, you will have my government(s full support. It is clear to us that your wor# has been hampered by years of under)investment in the training and e*uipment that you need. That will change under my government. !lready, we have committed to a very substantial increase in the funding available to you, and your brothers and sisters in other disciplined forces. We have established a command centre at +ogoo ,ouse to harmonise your wor# of protecting us. They will be dealt with sinya demonstrates that their hatred does not spare even innocent women and

To help you in your tas#s, more than -,... vehicles have been leased by my government. ! new police)housing scheme has bro#en ground in /uai, and it will soon be rolled out to all 01 counties. !n insurance scheme for you will be launched by +uly of this year. These, and other programs which will soon be announced, are a measure of my government(s commitment to protectingyou, even as you protect us. You can best show your gratitude by defending us to the best of your ability, and managing your additional resources

prudently. I say this in part because I want to ma#e it perfectly clear to you that my government, and the people of Kenya whom we serve, simply will not tolerate corruption. For corruption is an evil in itself, but when it infects those who are supposed to guard us from its effects, then we are spea#ing of a special #ind of wic#edness. It has been said that the corruption of the best is the worst. That saying is certainly true when dishonesty compromises the finest of our youth, charged with the protection of our common safety. I urge you not to fall victim to it, and I assure you that those who succumb, especially at this critical time, will suffer the most severe penalties that our law can impose. It is also my place to remind you all that the reforms which the police service is undergoing are motivated, in part, by our desire to clean the force of this vice. It falls to you to support them, both because our laws dictate them, and because they will ease your fulfilment of the duties which you ta#e up today. Let me also remind the nation(s parents, religious leaders, and our elders in positions of influence, that they must heed the call of their country. It needs them now to use their influence to remind those in their care of our humane traditions of co)e%istence, humility and understanding. This is the time to reclaim the Kenyan values that #ept us peaceful even when our neighbours descended into wars that turned brother against brother. This is the time to oppose our legacy of tolerance to the evil innovation of radicalisation, which insinuates that our war against terror is a conflict of religions or a battle of cultures. It is no such thing $ it is a war against vicious criminals, nothing more and nothing less.

Ladies and "entlemen,

Loo# at the happy faces of your families, who have come here from every corner of the republic to celebrate your success with you. I appreciate them deeply, as I am sure you do too. 2o not shame them. /emain faithful in your service. /emember also the grateful country which trained you, and today trusts its security to you.

2o not betray it3 remain true to the values it adopted for itself in the new constitution.

"od bless you all. 4ungua wabari#i na awalinde nyote.