Kenya is a great country. It is endowed with great and innovative people, entrepreneurs; people filled with talent.
But sometimes we ask ourselves why such great people of a great country endowed with such great talent have allowed themselves to be dominated by the scourge of tribalism, negative ethnicity, ethnonationalism? Why have they succumbed to parochialism, chronysm and provisionism?
This is the time for Kenya to stand again. You are the engine of the East Africa economy. We cannot afford to see Kenya being pulled down because of a few individuals.
We will not interfere with your internal affairs, but when we see that what you are doing is perilous to the East Africa Community, we will say it loudly 'please stop that mess'.
National cohesion should be your priority number one in your agenda as you embark on implementing the BBI. Without it, everything will go down the drain. Cohesion is a guarantee.
This event is not only significant to Kenya but also to Tanzania. This is why President John Magufuli allowed me to stay here. Otherwise, he wanted me to be home last night, actually in office now.
Pragmatism and realism of building bridges to a cohesive nation and sanitisation of a cohesive Kenya are urgent. We wish you well in your effort to build national cohesion. We want to applaud and highly commend President Uhuru Kenyatta for his magnanimity. He would have just said: "I am the President, so what?"
To Raila, Kenya is more important than you. To the President, I can’t say more because you were in Tanzania. Keep the respect of Tanzania in Kenya. To Ruto, God who has called you to the post of deputy president has given you the highest honour to serve Kenyans, serve them well. To Kenyans, learn to respect and tolerate each other.
His magnanimity, which perhaps some of you may have thought was a sign of weakness, was his strength because he put Kenya ahead of himself. Such leaders are rare in Africa, very rare. So please Kenyans, applaud your President, my President.
Equally, we do commend Raila Amolo Odinga. Had he decided to be stubborn, we wouldn’t be here. But also he has risen above his personal ambitions and pain and said: “Kenya is more important than me.”
And this is why we are here today; the handshake has given Kenya and East Africa a new impetus. It has emboldened all of us in Eastern Africa to see a new Kenya, a prosperous, united and cohesive Kenya. And a united Kenya means a united East Africa. So, don’t think of this event as a national event. It is a regional event.
My fellow politicians, live up to the expectations of Kenyans; but moreso to the expectations of your fellow East Africans. Exude confidence instead of perpetuating fear and apprehension among the people. Come out of your tribal cocoons and embrace the wider Kenya and the wider East Africa.
We, therefore, hail the Building Bridges Initiative because it portends well for the future of Kenya: a united, cohesive, peaceful and progressive Kenya.
Mr President, Deputy President William Ruto and Raila Odinga, President John Magufuli tells the three of you to hold Kenya and allow it to go up, rise and prosper. He phoned me yesterday to tell me to inform you about this. Please keep what President Magufuli says.
To Raila, Kenya is more important than you. To the President, I can’t say more because you were in Tanzania. Keep the respect of Tanzania in Kenya. To Ruto, God who has called you to the post of deputy president has given you the highest honour to serve Kenyans, serve them well. To Kenyans, learn to respect and tolerate each other. Learn to know that there is no one who knows everything and there is no one who is completely stupid. Build each other. Fanyeni kazi pamoja (Work hand in hand).
Mheshimiwa Rais (Mr President), we come with humility as your relatives, Kenya and Tanzania, God has destined us to be together and we will be in good and bad, all-weather; our relationship and friendship is all weather. We will support each other.
