You have asked me to be your chief servant: Kibaki's first presidential speech

Mwai Kibaki receives a sword from former President Daniel Arap Moi on December 30, 2002, in Uhuru Park, Nairobi. [File, Standard]

I feel extremely happy to address you today. I am overwhelmed by your love. I am emboldened by your support and enthusiasm. I am thrilled by your sense of dedication and commitment to this country. You have renewed my hope and strengthened my belief in the greatness of this country.

Now, all of us, both young and old, men and women, Kenyans of every ethnic group, race or creed, have embarked on a journey to a promising future with unshakeable determination and faith in God and in ourselves.

I would like, on behalf of myself, my family and the entire leadership and supporters of the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), to express my sincere appreciation of all Kenyans for giving me the mandate to preside over the affairs of this great country for the next five years. I am greatly honoured for the confidence you have extended to me and I promise not to let you down.

You have asked me to be your chief servant and I accept it with humility and gratitude. I would like to congratulate all our elected parliamentary and civic leaders who will also be servants of the people.

The NARC represents the future of Kenya politics. NARC is the hope of this country. Our phenomenal success in so short a time is proof that working together in unity, we can move Kenya forward.

Look around you, see what a gorgeous constellation of stars we are, just look at this dazzling mosaic of people of various ethnic backgrounds, race, creed, sex, age, experience, and social status.

The love of Kenya

Never in the history of this country have its leaders come together and worked so hard together as on indivisible entity with one vision.

It is the love of Kenya that has brought us together. We chose to let go our individual differences and personal ambitions in order to save this nation.

Some prophets of doom have predicted a vicious in-fighting in following this victory. I want to assure you that they will be disappointed. When a group of people come together over an idea or because of a shared vision, such a group can never fail or disintegrate.

NARC will never die as long as the original vision endures. It will grow stronger and coalesce into a single party that will become a beacon of hope not only to Kenyans but to the rest of Africa. This is a critical moment in the history of our country.

The task ahead is enormous, the expectations are high, the challenges are intimidating. But I know that with your support and cooperation, we shall turn all our problems into opportunities.

You have asked me to lead this nation out of the present wilderness and malaise onto the promised land. And I shall. I shall offer a responsive, transparent and innovative leadership. I am willing to put everything I have got into this job because I regard it as a sacred duty. I offer our competitors a hand of friendship. We have been through a long and sometimes bitter electioneering campaign. Now, the elections are over, there should be no bitterness.

Let us all unite in forgiveness, reconciliation, and hard work to
rebuild Kenya. Nation-building requires joint efforts of all Kenyans. Let us work for our common destiny; and advance our common aspiration to bequeath a better country to our children.

I salute the efforts of the gallant freedom fighters and builders of modern Kenya. I salute my worthy predecessors for their contribution to this nation. The mistakes people have made in the past should not distract us from confronting the enormous challenges ahead.

One would have preferred to overlook some of the all too obvious human errors and forge ahead, but it would be unfair to Kenyans not to raise questions about certain deliberate actions or policies of the past that continue to have grave consequences on the present. We are, however, not going to engage in witch-hunting. Our task will be to advance Kenya’s interests and ensure they are well served.

We want to bring back the culture of due process, accountability and transparency in public office.

The era of “anything goes” is gone forever. Government will no longer be run on the whims of individuals. The era of roadside policy declarations is gone. My government’s decisions will be guided by teamwork and consultations.

The authority of Parliament and the independence of the Judiciary will be restored and enhanced as part
of the democratic process and culture that we have undertaken to bring to foster.

Wide disconnect

Fellow Kenyans, I am inheriting a country which has been badly ravaged by years of misrule and ineptitude. There has been a wide disconnect between the people and the government, between people’s aspirants and the government’s attitude towards them.

“I believe that government exists to serve the people and not the people to serve the government. I believe that government exists to chart a common path and create an enabling environment for its citizens and residents to fulfil themselves in life.

Government is not supposed to be a burden on the people, it is not supposed to intrude on every aspect of life and it is not supposed to mount roadblocks in every direction we turn to in life.

The true purpose of government is to make laws and policies for the general good of the people, maintain law and order, provide social services that can enhance quality of life, defend the country against internal and external aggression and generally ensure that peace and stability prevails.

These will be the aims and objectives of the government under my leadership. My government will provide the creative potential of the Kenyan people. My government will adhere to the principles and practice of the rule of law in a modern society. My government will conserve national environment, develop Kenya’s