Africa Forum For Business and Security

14th September 2012 Thank you for your warm welcome and thank you Dr. Elleston for your invitation to address this conference today. I am honored to be here. I know that the futures of our nations are inextricably linked and the Kenyan government is grateful for the partnership our nations share and I am confident that this partnership will only grow stronger with time. Finally, I would like to briefly recognize and appreciate those individuals; institutions and organs of government that safe-guard the rights of Kenyans and strive to ensure security for all our citizens. Too often they are under-appreciated. So today I want to thank our policemen and women; our Ministry of Internal Security officials; our national intelligence services and of course our Defense forces who are presently deployed in Somalia serving in the interests of this great republic and of every peace loving state and person within East Africa and around the world. We thank them, and we thank their families for supporting them and commit to also supporting their families. Honourable Ministers; Distinguished Delegates; Members of the Business Community; Ladies and Gentlemen Our task during this conference has been two-fold. We came together not only to reckon with the nature of insecurity in Africa but also to envision what a secure and prosperous Africa could mean for us, and to identify the best way of getting there. The prospects for a secure Africa have been emphasized around the world. At present seven of the worlds ten fastest growing economies in the world are from Africa. Foreign direct investment in African countries has been steadily increasing and potential abounds in the form of minerals, oil, natural gas, and a large labor force. Kenya is no exception. Indeed, ours is a nation of possibilities. Our young innovators, our new constitution, our discovery of resources ; our reformed and reforming judiciary and our improving infrastructure are sure signs that our

national vision is tenable and that that there is great opportunity for prosperity. Yet, though our potential is great our prospects are also threatened. Internally, the forces of ethnic prejudice and religious extremism are, as we speak, spreading societal fear and distrust and distracting Kenyans from confronting many fundamental problems. Tragic incidents such as those in Tana River, and in the Coastal region have made worldwide impact and are causing alarm and dismay amongst citizens; local leaders; entrepreneurs and foreign investors alike. While, we will continue to condemn the violence and to stand with all the affected families- we have also take heed of these events. Because, unfortunately, insecurity is not limited to those two regions. Across the country- too many of our citizens simply do not feel safe. They do not feel safe when they are forced to be overly cautious and go home increasingly earlier because a terrorist threat has been issued. They cannot feel safe when places of worship are not respected. When sanctuary is denied them in the most brutal of ways. They do feel safe when a plethora of weapons and a lack of adequate regulation makes them insecure because they have to sleep wondering whether neighboring communities will resort to violence as a means to settle old-scores or advance their agenda. Our youth do not feel safe when education, that golden key we always told them would open the door of success- is less likely that ever to even get them a job. Young people cannot feel safe when, in some places drug-trafficking; prostitution and violent robbery seem like the only ways to pull ahead; break out of poverty or earn enough to get by. These are the realities that we must contend with Ladies and Gentlemen. If we ignore them, if we sweep them under the carpet, if we speak in hushed whispers about them and anxiously wait for the future to unfold; if we watch passively as these elements of poverty, unemployment and recklessness aggressively undo our hard-work and undermine the promise of our freedom- we will do our nation and our continent a great, indeed a grave, dis-service.

The challenges that face us are many and they are big: there is no doubt about that. But Having been to many places in this country and across the continent, I am confident that in the face of such daunting challengesthe dignity, strength, creativity and vision that quietly abound in our countries are, when brought together, equal to the task of overcoming these profound problems. And thats partly why we are here. To bring together the best of many worlds and work together towards peace and prosperity. We are not here because we are hopeless. We are here because we know that our citizens are still within the reach of reason. We are here because we know that we are all inter-connected and because we know that insecurity anywhere in the world- is a threat to security everywhere. We are here because we know all to well, that the economic uncertainty and political unrest and upheaval on the continent and around the world could pose a threat to all of us . And we are here, Ladies and Gentlemen, because we understand that the unique conditions of our time make the discussion on security not just important but ever more personal to each one of us. And because we are here, because we all have a stake in the present and in the future, because our children will feel the effects of our choices- we must continue to stand together, and we must continue to bring together our considerable moral; intellectual and economic resources, to tackle the issues we face- head on. Because many of our nations are at a make-or-break point in our histories. Even now, Kenya is standing at the brink of a destiny-deciding moment namely next years elections. The next elections may, if conducted correctly, give us the momentum to fly. But now, more than ever, a credible electoral process must be ensured in order to avert the violence that is characteristic of electoral cycles.

Of course, the IEBC has an important role to play in pursuing this goal. So do our media; our religious institutions; our political parties and political leaders. So does every peace-loving and law-abiding Kenyan citizen. But regional and international actors also have a role to play in ensuring partiality and in ensuring that Kenyas citizens are able to decide upon their leaders without undue international pressure or interference. And while those pressures are not welcome, we do invite international partners and friends of Kenya to help us build the local institutions that will ensure that the next election- and every election after that- is free and fair. Because, in order to remain secure, we must have institutions that strengthen our faith in the decorum that democracy promises. To our regional neighbors and international friends I must stress that there is too much at stake for us not to invest in peace. The progress that the East-African Community has made should not be jeopardized by chaos. The oil-line that will link South Sudan and Kenya should not be delayed by bad decisions. The efforts to counter terrorism in Somalia and to curb insecurity in that nation should not be compromised by the creation of a home-based conflict. Ladies and Gentlemen, we cant afford the kind of economic losses that accompany uneasy passing of power. Not when there are still hopes of developing more infrastructures more road, and rail and water networks that will connect the countries in East Africa. Not when there are still plans of supporting an East-Africa Legislative assembly. Not when we are all seeking ways to further develop our nations; create jobs for our citizens and increase the standards of living within our states. Ladies and Gentlemen- None of us can afford a destructive 2013 election. And Kenya must also do its part to ensure National Security both next year and in the years to come. That requires that all national leaders, myself included, realize that the time has come when this nation must be bigger than any one man. And it requires that every institution act responsibly. Because it is the future of Kenya that is on the ballot next March and it is Kenya that

must win. But even beyond the election- long-term security also requires a great deal of investment in a variety of different sectors and the complex nature of some of our deep-seated challenges requires that we take a creative approach in dealing with the issues. For the government: strengthening our security agencies and better equipping them to carry out their functions- is, and must continue to be, a priority. During my tenure as Minister of Finance security apparatus such as cctv cameras and metal detectors were zero-rated making them import duty exempt and more available to our nation in the fight against terrorism. But, there is still a lot of room for investment in new technologies that will ensure that no matter how fast evil evolves- we will always be one step ahead. Certain proposed ideas such as the creation of a national database that links our Ids; passports; driving licenses; kra information and criminal records are not just possible in a country that created mpesa-servicesthey are imperative in our fight against crime and in seeking to indentify threats to our security before they do the kind of damage they can do. But even as we do that - we must dig deeper and deal with underlying causes of our security problems. Youth unemployment and deeply entrenched poverty continue to fuel the disunity that is perhaps the single biggest underlying cause of National insecurity. That is why we need to invest increasingly in the agricultural sector; the manufacturing sector as well as other innovative sectors such as telecommunications and sports which can create new jobs in Kenya. In recent years, the government has invested more in agriculture by beginning crucial projects such as dam building and irrigation schemes which have ensured more people are able to participate in farming. With the right kind of investment in new technology there is absolutely no reason why Kenya should not be able to provide food for itself, its neighbors and the world. We must also ensure that youth receive the right kind of incentives to encourage them to venture into farming.

Our manufacturing industry already makes up 15% of our countries economy and the ramifications of this an emerging middle classmean that international investors have every reason to be hopeful as Kenya increasingly becomes a market for goods. Kenya is already a leader in Africa in telecommunications as the home of M-Pesa- which has changed the lives of 20 million Kenyans. With the statistics showing that over 90% of adults have access to mobile phones and over a third of the population use the internet: the vision 2030 idea of a Silicon Sahara must feel that its time has come! Indeed, continued exploration of the telecommunications industry is sure to provide the jobs that our youth need and whats more these technologies provide a way of connecting our citizens with the kind of information that will connect them to opportunity, to each other, and to the world. And that ladies and Gentlemen is what we truly need to be. Connected. We must remain connected by our vision for the future, connected by our desire for peace and connected by our common goals. All of us already know that there is a prosperous land that lies beyond the foggy mists of our present- but we must remember there is little to be gained in trying to go there alone, and everything to be gained in striving to get there together. Thank you. Uhuru Kenyatta