International Workers Day

Moving On. Today, the world over, we celebrate the industriousness of working men and women. We celebrate the steady resilience of citizens who juggle their many obligations and responsibilities with their dreams. We celebrate citizens like you who faithfully perform their respective duties and who strive to perform them with the greatest degree of excellence. We celebrate the virtues that make for an effective workforce and for a great nation. Tenacity. Diligence. Focus. Today leaders from a great many nations will arise to recognize that our national economies ride on the backs of working men and women and that the attainment of our mutual hopes, and common vision depend on securing the best environment for all our citizens because our collective dreams are bound up in our individual lives. We celebrate this day because it recognizes the gratitude we owe to those whose daily toil serves to make nations great. Yet within the last year several countries around the world have been faced with some pervasive threats to national security and many working men and women experienced great challenges. These trials have seen a lot of people downsize their dreams; hang up hope; grow restless and agitated with an environment that wasnt allowing for their progress. The happenings of the last year have time and time again demanded our unwavering attention and dared us to do something. Issues such as unemployment, particularly youth unemployment; rising oil prices and general food inflation have merited worldwide attention. The impact has been global. Working class citizens everywhere have felt the pinch. Kenya has been no exception. When maize and sugar reached record highs: who felt the impact? The very workforce we celebrate today. When oil prices surged upwards who felt the impact? The admirable men and women who through their toil have always done our country proud. When drought struck within our nation- it is our citizens who felt the impact, and it is our citizens who, though they were experiencing hardship, rallied to ensure that food was made available to those regions of the nation that were so terribly affected. Today as we recognize the role working men and women play within our nation-

we must also emphasis the need to protect these men and women. As leaders within this nation we must unanimously declare that it is our responsibility to ensure that citizens can secure a better future for themselves. We must continue to invest in policies that will enhance economic growth so that we can reclaim our citizens from the grip of cynicism and from the deadly hand of disillusion that has captured the lives of millions around the world. As many recall, last year was also a year in which we experienced a number of strikes. During the Teachers strike I personally had the great privilege of intervening during negotiations that saw Teachers return to schools. The strikes however point to bigger issues that workers in many fields- especially education and medicine, are voicing. The need for us to steadily invest in ensuring that all the right facilities are available within some of these crucial sectors. We must ensure that the working conditions of those who are employed in these fields are not just tolerable but exemplary. That we voice our gratitude to these men and women not by our speech but by striving to afford them with an environment that allows them to perform. The next administration must show them, by our actions, that that it appreciates the great service that they contribute to this country. Of course this kind of environment will only exist where there is opportunity for investment and where investment increases. We cannot afford the kind of insecurity that we have recently felt within this nation, we cannot afford the political instability that leads to calamity. We must be decidedly resolved that, for the sake of this nation, we will uphold peace and do everything within our power to ensure that peace prevails within our nation. Yet despite the issues that have stalked us this past year there is no doubt that there is hope within the horizon. The steps we are making towards vision 2030 though initially tentative are becoming increasingly evident. As a nation we have resolved and we must resolve again that So, have a restful labor day and continue to strive to attain your dreams because only then will we, as a nation, attain ours. Have a great day! Yours Sincerely, Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta.