SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY HON. UHURU KENYATTA, C.G.H.

,
PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE DEFENCE FORCES
OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA DURING THE DEFENCE FORCES
RECRUITS PASSING OUT PARADE AT RECRUITS TRAINING SCHOOL,
ELDORET 28
TH
MAY, 2014
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am glad to be with you in Eldoret again, for, as your governor once
insisted, this is indeed the home of champions. As your President and
ommander!in!chief, it is my pleasure, and my duty, to preside over the
passing out of our recruits.
Let me begin by recogni"ing them, as well as the parents, the families,
and the friends, without whose sacri#ce and inspiration none of us would
be here. $hat sacri#ce and inspiration was needed, because I %now this
course was hard. $hat is as it should be. &ou, the recruits who graduate
today, will be as%ed to defend your countrymen, with your lives if
necessary. 'any of you will be as%ed to live away from friends and family.
(ome of you will be as%ed to use lethal force in defence of the republic.
)nly the most patriotic of your young people * only those of the best
character * can be trusted with these duties and powers.
&our training was designed to ma%e sure that you would meet these high
standards * that is why it was so rigorous. In #nishing it, you have shown
yourself worthy of your new responsibilities. &ou have shown yourself
worthy of the trust your country, your parents and friends put in you. I
commend you.
+ut this occasion only mar%s the beginning of your service. I can tell you
that it will be demanding. $he nation faces new threats, and a
resurgence of old ones. Inside and outside our country, terrorists prowl,
see%ing innocents to rob and %ill. $he old evils of corruption and violent
crime are still with us. ,ow, more than ever, the nation needs those who
guard it to stand #rm.
'y Government will stand with you. An unprecedented increase in
funding to match these new challenges will come in the ne-t #nancial
year. .e will give you the new e/uipment you need to serve us. And we
will continually give you the best training available, and constantly loo%
to your welfare. In return, we as% you to abide by the constitutional
values that you have been taught here.
&ou have made a good start. I note with appreciation that a number of
female recruits completed the training with their male counterparts
today. $his is yet another mar% of my Government0s commitment to
e/ual opportunities for all our people.
$hat is as it should be. )ur defence forces have long been, and will
continue to be, a symbol of our nationhood. &ou are drawn from all across
the country * men and women from di1erent communities, living and
wor%ing together to defend the nation. &ou are a wonderful e-ample of
our country at its best2 a country in which our di1erences of origin, race,
religion or se- are subordinated to patriotic service.
&our fellow countrymen recogni"e your ability, and your unity. $hat is why
they have bestowed this great trust upon you. $heir hope, and mine, is
that you will never betray that trust or let them down in any way. &ou
must continue to lead by e-ample.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
$he career you have chosen is not an easy one. $o ma%e the most of your
ability, and to defend the nation as it deserves, you will have to
continuously improve your s%ills, to ensure the e1ective and e3cient
performance that we demand. &our success will depend on your integrity,
discipline and loyalty to your country, your peers and superiors, and your
Government * as your oath of allegiance reminds you.
Apply yourselves diligently to the service along those lines, and you will
4ustify the selection and training you have undergone.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
)f course, that is to as% much of you. +ut it is no more than we as%ed of
your predecessors. $hey have maintained high standards wherever they
have been posted in the various missions we have underta%en, whether
in (outh (udan, Darfur or as members of A'I()' in (omalia. (ome of
them have paid the ultimate price * today, even as I celebrate the new
recruits, I honour those before them who gave their lives for the freedom
of others.
$he participation of our personnel in these 'issions re5ects the
con#dence that the 6nited ,ations, the (ecurity ouncil, and our
neighbours have in our ,ation0s Defence 7orces. $he trust bestowed on
our troops serving outside our country is a true testimony to the value of
our military training and professionalism. If you are tempted to
discouragement by your tas%s, remember your predecessors, and let
their e-cellence be an e-ample to you.
I am glad that you have already begun well. $he standard of the parade
and turnout displayed today is highly commendable. (o let me ta%e this
opportunity to congratulate the hief of the Defence 7orces, the
ommandant of this ollege, )3cers and indeed all the (ervice
'embers of the 8ecruits $raining (chool for their good wor%.
.ith these few remar%s, let me once again ta%e this opportunity to wish
the new soldiers the very best of luc% in their future careers. Do not let
down your country, or the friends and family who have come to share
this moment with you.
$han% you, and may God bless you now and in the years that lie ahead.