‘I am immensely grateful for the privilege to serve our country’- Uhuru
‘My fellow Kenyans, today is my last opportunity to speak to you as your President.
Since independence, we have every five years, without fail, reaffirmed our democratic credentials. We have done so by returning to the people, the sovereign of our nation, for a mandate to serve. We have in this context put our nation on a consistent and predictable journey of deepening and maturing our democracy.
Today, I will emulate that honoured tradition and hand over the mantle to my successor, The Hon William Ruto.
I am profoundly grateful for the honour and privilege you bestowed upon me to serve as the Fourth President of the Great Republic of Kenya.
To you all and to all those who have served with me during my tenure as President, accept my immense gratitude.
Fellow Kenyans, today’s inauguration, the last step in a process of electioneering, is a moment to come together as one people, to pursue the promise of Kenya, as destined by God. Fellow Kenyans, the work of building a nation is a continuous endeavour passed from one generation to another, as one administration hands over to the next, in an unbroken chain that seeks to progressively build a more united, equitable and prosperous Kenya.
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On my part as the Head of State, I hand over leadership of a nation that has undergone consequential transformation over the last decade in every aspect of our national life.
With the mandate you bestowed upon my administration, we have fostered and integrated devolution as a way of life; reinforced our educational and technical excellence; and successfully led the nation through the worst global health crisis in a century. We also turned a number of challenges we inherited and those that emerged during our tenure into areas of opportunity for a better Kenya.
The baton we received from President Mwai Kibaki was not dropped. We built on his legacy and those of the previous two administrations in every area of public life. In an unbroken chain, we built on President Daniel arap Moi’s love for education that was further built upon as free primary education by Kibaki. And with the mandate you gave us, we institutionalised free secondary education, heralding 100 per cent transition from primary to secondary education. To further enhance the competitiveness of our workforce, we have placed the nation on a pathway to the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC); which institutionalises a system that nurtures creativity and innovativeness for our children.
To realise the dream of equitable development, we have in an unbroken chain fostered and given impetus to the devolved system of governance. In line with the 2010 Constitution, we institutionalised devolution and forever changed the face of Kenya. Through devolution, government is much closer to the people, with Sh 2.5 trillion transferred by the National Government to the Counties from 2013 to-date.
The Fourth Administration, which I had the privilege to lead, has built on previous administrations to lay a foundation which the Fifth Administration can build on. To serve one’s country is the greatest honour any citizen can receive. It is a sacred trust and immense privilege that I have not taken for granted. I thank you all for the immense opportunities you have accorded me to serve in various public roles over the last two and a half decades.
In all the work I have done as President, in every decision I have made, in every executive action I have taken, in every Bill I have proposed and assented to; I have been guided by the dream of our forefathers — to eliminate poverty, ignorance and disease, to improve the quality of life of all Kenyans and to create conditions for everyone to achieve their dreams.
As a hallmark of our democracy, I will tomorrow, before God and my fellow countrymen, hand over the instruments of power to our new President. With that the Fourth Administration will come to an end and the tenure of the Fifth Administration will begin.
My entire family and I join all Kenyans in wishing our very best to our next President, Dr. William S. Ruto, and in extending to him our warmest congratulations for receiving the mandate of Kenyans to lead us.
Mr President-elect, as you walk the path to your inauguration and beyond, you will be President not just for those who voted for you but for all Kenyans. In the prophetic words of our national anthem — we are all summoned to purposefully dwell in unity, peace and liberty; working hard and together, so that plenty will be found in our borders. We, therefore, pray for your success, as your success will be Kenya’s success. Thank you. God bless you, and God bless Kenya.
—President Kenyatta’s made the farewell speech at State House, Nairobi yesterday
