I want to thank God for enabling me to stand before you today to commemorate and celebrate this specialMashujaa day with the great people of Uasin Gishu County.
On this day, we are reminded of the pain and suffering endured by our heroes in the dungeon cells of the colonial masters as well as, the persecutions they suffered to ensure that we got our freedom from the bondage of colonialism.
It is a day that we remember all who have and continue to make a difference in our lives and in our country at large.
Today, we remember all the heroes not only of the current but also all past generations as well while putting in mind their great deeds, their noble examples, their exemplary conduct, and the patriotic fervour with which they suffered in their struggles for our liberty and freedom.
Though we are unable to enshrine our eternal gratitude for their heroic example, and also unable to write in detail the endless stories of their untold sacrifices and sufferings, we can emulate in our future actions those who are distinguished as our heroes.
This day, we celebrate to remind ourselves that we can also be the heroes to be celebrated by the coming and future generations.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Every era has its own heroes and every hero has its own era, the sacrifices of our heroes of yesterday are good examples, we must have the same spirit, we must emulate the same character, and we must be fired by the same determination with which they fought for us in the past we need to stand where they left off, to proceed and realize the ideals which spurred them to patriotic action.
Today, our country has progressed by leaps and bounds to the level that our constitution has provided us with enormous freedoms and the ability to govern ourselves through the devolved system of governance.
It’s by this system of governance that I stand here as your governor to remind ourselves that we have heroes of recent times, those that brought constitutional reforms that yielded to the current constitutional dispensation of devolution.
Ladies and gentlemen, we take pride in our sportsmen and women heroes in our county, I do recognize sportsmen who have brought glory to our country among them are Eliud Kipchoge, Faith Kiyegon, Abel Kipsang, FerdinantOmanyalla, the young and the experienced ones are all our great heroes,
I do in a special way recognize our great heroes in the academic sector, our farmers who have forever toiled to feed the nation despite difficulties in production, marketing and poor pricing, our farmers have never given up. I do recognize our great hero the President and Head of state H.E William SamoeiRuto one of us who rose from a humble background right here at the county to be the head of state. Fellow residents, we surely have a reason to celebrate our heroes, for they give us hope and a promising future.
Ladies and gentlemen as we commemorate this day, I want to assure you that it is time we embark on transforming our county even as we reflect on the vision of our past, heroes, and current heroes and work in unity to achieve greatness.
Ladies and gentlemen, as we celebrate this Mashujaa day, let us reflect on our bright future as a county. The challenges we have had in the health sector, water sector, agriculture sector, infrastructure, and other key areas, and join hands in focusing on our goals in which I promise to steer the county to greater heights. Our aspirations are built on the history of our heroes through which we seek to empower our people by equipping them with skills and knowledge with which they will be able to earn a living.
Ladies and gentlemen, as your governor I will endeavour to ensure that I implement the NGUZO KUMI agenda so as to build strong communities that are economically stable, a community that will fit into today’s world economy which is more complex than ever.
I believe this is the greatest challenge of our time is to make sure that our economy works for everyone.
Ladies and gentlemen, I will be promoting cooperation, and stronger partnerships so as to increase trading activities among ourselves, other counties, across the country, and abroad.
Ladies and gentlemen, as a county we will strive to increase agricultural production and access to markets through improved extension services and we shall be focusing more on agribusiness as a mode of increasing food security and wealth creation among our people.
We will not turn back on the provision of quality water, improved infrastructure, and more importantly highest attainable health to all our residents.
Ladies and gentlemen, in my administration I will create an investor-friendly environment, to attract both local and international investors. We shall promote a business-friendly environment suitable for small, and medium enterprises all the way to the big investors seeking opportunities in our county, I will ensure that I position our economy to grow quickly.
Ladies and gentlemen, together, we must fight the war on poverty, we need to build a ladder of opportunity to climb, and stretch out a safety net beneath so that if we fall, it wouldn’t be too far, and we can be able to bounce back.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are currently developing our five-year County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP), this plan will steer us to prosperity, we are at the stage of public participation and consultations and this regard, I do hereby call upon each one of you to come to participate and give your input so that we can carry the vision of moving to prosperity together.
Ladies and Gentlemen, our CIDP will provide the socio-economic framework, for empowerment leading to improvement within the lifestyles of our people, we will be addressing ways to improve education, incomes, skill development, and employment.
We will provide a process of economic and social transformation based on cultural and environmental factors. As a county, we shall strive to empower citizens on improved livelihood. This will be achieved through increased funding and access to financial linkages and enhancement of our County Enterprise Fund and the INUA BIASHARA Fund, and in addition, we shall soon be seeking to develop a policy and an act to create the County Agriculture Fund that will help subsidize the costs of production.
Ladies and Gentlemen, climate change is a reality and affects all of us, my government will work with the national government and development partners to address mitigation measures of climate change, we must start dedicating serious thought and funding to transformational adaptation programs with environmental concerns. We will strive to increase forest cover across the County and make conservation activities mandatory for every household.
Ladies and gentlemen, it will be a priority to identify and implement climate change mitigation actions by promoting effective climate change adaptation strategies and developing frameworks at the County level linking them to global, and regional strategies. We shall undertake capacity-building processes for our residents with support from partners so as to establish more effective climate change responses through specific tools, including the development of strategies and best practices.
Ladies and Gentlemen, in recognition of climate change and mitigation measures I do appeal to all of us to be cognizant of the same and act, we will be seeking ways of appreciating, recognizing, and awarding the climate change champions in our county soon.
I want to thank all those who supported me in the recently concluded elections and I want to promise the residents of Uasin Gishu that I will not disappoint you in the delivery of the pledges we made during the campaigns.
Thank you every one and God Bless you all.
