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 ST. JOHN AMBULANCE PRIORY INAUGURATION CEREMONY AT ALL SAINTS CATHEDRAL, NAIROBI, ON 5 TH DECEMBER, 2013

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am delighted to join you on this special occasion as you celebrate the elevation of St John Kenya to a Priory. I am particularly delighted because the occasion is ta ing place at a time !hen !e are celebrating our "# th $nniversary since !e attained independence. Ladies and Gentlemen, St. John $mbulance, as most people no! it in Kenya, has a rich history of helping those of our people !ho are vulnerable. %he support has, indeed, been !elcome as it complements government initiatives to ma e life better for the vulnerable in our society. &or this reason, I am pleased to be involved !ith the St. John $mbulance as 'hief Patron. I ta e this opportunity to than all the volunteers and committee members of St. John, especially those !ho have been Knighted and Invested !ith various a!ards today, for the vital services you have continued to offer to members of the public. I no! that volunteers of St. John sacrifice a lot of their time, s ills, and even money in helping people !hen !e are faced !ith emergency situations. (our spirit of service to humanity reflects the essence of the 'hristian ministry. It is important to emphasi)e that service to others not only gives life a greater meaning, but it indeed also unites the diverse people of Kenya. $ny support e*tended in a spirit of service to humanity is a demonstration of true love for our fello! human ind. Ladies and Gentlemen, St. John is charged !ith the responsibility of providing technical reserves for the medical services of the government and the $rmed &orces of Kenya in time of !ar and peace. I believe these services are even more necessary no! that the number of emergencies have increased tremendously, leading to loss of life of many innocent people. +ur country has on occasion e*perienced horrific road accidents, terror attac s, collapsing buildings and other calamities. ,e, as a government, and other agencies dealing !ith road safety must be prepared to address such calamities. I am encouraged to understand that St. John $mbulance has mounted -. rescue centers, e/uipped !ith emergency rescue e/uipment and manned by an average of 0. personnel, !ho respond to accidents along the 1ombasa21alaba high!ay. %his !ill significantly reduce the number of Kenyans dying through road carnage as a result of poor handling at accident scenes.

I understand this project is also complimented by other ongoing road safety programmes by St. John $mbulance, li e motorcycle safety campaign, in !hich over ",### boda boda operators in -3 to!ns are being trained on safe riding, first aid and motor cycle maintenance. ,e must, as a nation, aim at preventing occurrence of road accidents, and build capacity of Kenyans to offer prompt and appropriate response to emergencies. It is !orthy to note that the Government is trying to address issues of road carnage as !ell as disaster management in the country, and recogni)es emergency providers li e St. John $mbulance as ey in ensuring that lives of people affected by calamities are protected and handled !ith utmost professionalism. Ladies and Gentlemen, I !ant everybody to no! that my Government is not only supporting organi)ations li e St. John4s, but also strengthening its capacity to respond ade/uately and promptly to emergencies and disasters. In a fe! days, I !ill be launching the 56667 emergency call system. It !ill be e/uipped !ith the support infrastructure to enable the police, fire, medical and other emergency services respond in a more effective manner. $dditionally, the Government has instituted comprehensive measures to e*pand and intensify the Police Service4s ability to respond /uic ly and efficiently to diverse emergencies. %o this end, the necessary budgetary, institutional development and human resolve capacities are set for a mar ed transformation. $s !e enter the festive season, I urge Kenyans to remain vigilant against crime and prudent in their celebrations. %he police !ill be re/uired to escalate their visibility and respond decisively to any violations of the la!, disturbances of public tran/uility and order. Ladies and Gentlemen, I am delighted to see several young people, among you, !ho are engaged in various activities to ma e them become healthy but more importantly to ma e them responsible and productive citi)ens. 8ngagement of the youth in different activities, aimed at eradicating idleness, enhances their productivity !hich is very crucial for national development. %he life s ills you develop in young people enable them to become caring, coping and competent citi)ens !ho !ill build strong foundations for the future of our beloved country. In this regard, my $dministration is committed to improving the opportunities for young people. 9!e)o &und, !hich !as recently launched, is no! supporting our youth and !omen in starting up small and medium business enterprises. ,e have also directed that :#; of procurement in all public institutions be serviced by enterprises o!ned by young people and !omen. %he performance contracts in the public service also contain this re/uirement as a target. Ladies and Gentlemen,

$s you are a!are, promoting maternal care is a priority of my Government4s development agenda. I am really encouraged to understand that St John has made safe pregnancy one of your top priorities, under your maternal health programme, !hose aim is to reduce maternal and ne!born morbidity and mortality to!ards the achievement of the 1illennium <evelopment Goals. ,e as a Government appreciate this support by St. John $mbulance. %o optimi)e on this support, I also encourage the county governments, !ithin !hose jurisdiction St. John is !or ing, to strengthen partnership !ith St. John $mbulance in improving emergency response and acceleration of maternal ne!2born child health outcomes. Ladies and Gentlemen, Let me in conclusion ta e this opportunity to most sincerely than all the corporates that have in one !ay or another supported St. John to run its lifesaving charity missions. %his is a !orth investment that assures you a hospitable social environment that is necessary for sustainable friendly investment climate. I, in this vein, encourage other companies and organi)ations to also support the !orthy cause of St. John and be partners in building a better Kenya. %han (ou and God =less (ou $ll.