President Uhuru Kenyatta has urged leaders across the political divide to unite and work together for Kenya to achieve its goal of becoming a middle-income country by 2030.
The President emphasized that the whole essence of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) was to bring the country together and consolidate national unity.
He cautioned against endless politics at the expense of development saying political bickering and selfish pursuits by leaders were holding the country back.
“Rather than engaging in endless political fights, let's work together. If we do that, we will be able to become a truly middle-income country by 2030,” President Kenyatta said.
The Head of State spoke Monday at State House, Nairobi, when he hosted a delegation of political leaders from Lower Eastern counties of Kitui, Machakos and Makueni to discuss the region’s development.
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The President expressed optimism that BBI will ensure inclusivity and equal distribution of resources across the country.
“BBI will ensure inclusivity and equity. It will make every Kenyan feel they belong,” President Kenyatta told the leaders who included Wiper Partly Leader and former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu and her Machakos counterpart Dr Alfred Mutua.
The Head of State pointed out that by working with leaders from across the political divide, he has managed to deliver more projects during his second term in office because he was able to focus more on development.
“Working in conjunction with my colleagues, I have been able to focus on the development agenda not the political agenda,” the Head of State said.
Former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, who led the delegation, thanked President Kenyatta for the development projects implemented by the National Government in the Ukambani region, citing the recent revival of the Kenya Meat Commission and several other infrastructure projects.
“You have really worked for your people and we appreciate that,” Mr Kalonzo said.
Governors Alfred Mutua and Charity Ngilu also spoke at the meeting where they affirmed Ukambani region’s support for the President's Big 4 Agenda.
At another event, President Kenyatta met India’s External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar who paid him a courtesy call at State House, Nairobi.
The President and Mr Jaishankar discussed a wide range of bilateral interests between Kenya and India, among them agriculture, energy, growth of small and medium enterprises, maritime security and people-to-people exchanges.
The visiting Minister also briefed President Kenyatta on the measures his Government is taking to restore the supply of Covid-19 vaccines following the disruptions brought about by the surge of Coronavirus infections in India.
Mr Jaishankar expressed India’s commitment to enhancing its collaboration with Kenya saying, Nairobi was India’s foremost partner in Eastern Africa.
He expressed satisfaction that Kenya's partnership with India had led to the revival of Rivatex, and promised similar interventions going forward.
“We are grateful for this partnership that has been of great benefit to the people of our two countries. We look forward to strengthening it even further,” Mr Jaishankar said.
