No turning back on building bridges initiative - Uhuru

We have chosen the hard road of bringing unity and cohesion against the easy road of division, President Uhuru Kenyatta has said.

Uhuru said there will be no turning back on the Building Bridges Initiative that assures inclusion, cohesion, unity and respect for all Kenyans.

He spoke during his State of the Nation address on Thursday during a special sitting of both Houses of Parliament. 

The President said that they are not turning back because they are determined to gift children a better Kenya than the one they inherited.

"A prosperous Kenya where respect for the rule of law and integrity are the accepted norms," Uhuru added.

Uhuru said the agricultural industry remains an important pillar in his Big Four Agenda to ensure food security and nutrition for all Kenyans.

As a means to enhance food production to a household level, Kenyatta said 4400 water pans have been constructed under the Household Irrigation Water Project.

“The pans will store 6 million cubic meters of water, placing an additional 6,000 acres under irrigation.”

Kenyatta stated that his Administration has also prioritized reforms in the Coffee sub-sector and has implemented numerous interventions emanating from the recommendations of the Coffee Task force

“These include the ambitious rehabilitation of 500 pulping stations (factories) in 31 coffee-growing Counties.”

He added that with a view to comprehensively resolve the problem of undue delays in the payment cycle, the Administration has set up a Ksh.3 billion Cherry Advance Revolving Fund to be operational from July 1, 2019.

The President said in 2019 the economy would expect a stronger growth of 6.3% as a result of political stability as a result of the handshake.

Uhuru urged everyone to appreciate the importance of unity in Kenya

“In all our cultures, a handshake is an expression of goodwill, friendship and reconciliation,” he said.

"Unity is a key weapon to the growth of a country.”