President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday urged world leaders to embrace healthy political competition and foster global democracy while explaining his unity deal with Raila Odinga.
Uhuru said nations can only achieve their goals if they move away from confrontational politics and endless rivalry, and prioritise the needs of their people.
He said his March 9 truce with the Opposition leader was motivated by the need to end this kind politics and to put the interests of Kenyans first.
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“We can have opposing views but still reach bipartisan agreements for the people. My reaching out to Raila and the Opposition after the elections must be seen in this context,” he said.
The handshake was also premised on the realisation that the Opposition was pushing for issues the Jubilee administration identified with in its quest to deliver its manifesto.
They are health, education, peace and stability.
“We need one another to deliver,” Uhuru said in his evening address
at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, commonly known as Chatham House.
He was the first Kenyan President to speak at the institution.
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On security, Uhuru asked the UK to complement Kenya’s efforts in restoring peace and stability in the region, particularly in Somalia and South Sudan.
He noted technological advancements have created challenges in dealing with terrorism and urged the UK to help Kenya handle them.
The President said terrorism remains a major challenge for the entire world, especially in the new era where extremists use technology to advance their agenda.
“Our friendship needs to respond to enemies of democracy rather than l[cause us to] leave the battlefields and retreat behind walls. We must continue to work together to defeat terror groups that threaten our people and our countries.
The President asked Britain to use its position in agencies such as the United Nations to fight terrorism and weaponised information.
On trade, Uhuru emphasised the need for the UK to remove trade barriers to make trade with Kenya easier.
He noted the country has been in the forefront of improving the ease of doing business.
Uhuru further emphasised the need for the UK to collaborate with Kenya in creating jobs as a way of fighting poverty. He said there is need for the youth in Kenya and the UK to have access to economic empowerment through entrepreneurship and trade.
“London is a global centre of banking and investment. It’s a city that urgently needs more investments and opportunities. Kenya and East Africa as a whole are full of energetic people. We need to do more to lower the cultural bureaucratic and communication barriers to that investment,” Uhuru said.
The President further told the UK to take advantage of Kenya’s Big Four agenda on manufacturing, healthcare, affordable housing and food security.
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“The Kenyan and British people are marked by their pragmatism. We must marry that sense of practicality, to ambition, optimism and courage to embrace a future that is already here to deliver success.”
Uhuru assured Kenyans in the diaspora that relevant agencies are making plans for them to
participate in the 2022 general election.
On conservation of forests, Uhuru said the government is working on restoring cover without hurting indigenous communities that are native occupants of the ecosystem.
He said concern surrounds evicting those who have invaded the forests for economic purposes.
“Ours is not to interfere with traditional communities that live there,” he said.
Earlier this year, the government banned logging in effort sto conserve the environment.
Deputy President William Ruto asked authorities to take the 90-day ban seriously “since it is not a government PR stunt”.
“There will be no logging and felling of trees in gazetted government and community forest for 90 days,” Ruto said on February 24, noting Kenya has close to 120,000 plantations with no trees.