The New Year is a time to reflect with immense gratitude on the
accomplishments and breakthroughs of the last 12 months. It is also a
time to reflect on what worked, what did not, and what we can re-
imagine in the New Year.
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2. As we bid goodbye to 2021, we rejoice in the fact that 2022 gives
us an opportunity to do things better. By offering us a reset, the New
Year is one for course-correction and building back better.
3. But there is always a challenge to every new beginning. We tend
to celebrate the milestones of the past at the expense of making real
our dreams of the future. And this is because the past is visible and
concrete. Its victories and failures are spread out for all to see. But
the future is invisible to the naked eye, and only those with the lens of
faith can see it; and only the bold and the courageous can achieve it.
4. The past explains how we got here as a nation but the future is an
empty slate. The New Year will give each and every Kenyan 365 days
of blank slates upon which they will chronicle their story. As a nation, it
is up to us to write our 2022 story page by page; ensuring that each day
we make Kenya better than it was the day before.
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My Fellow Countrymen,
5. Each Kenyan generation in an unbroken chain all the way from
the dawn of time to the present day makes a mark on our national
fabric.
6. Every generation that came before us made their contribution to the
realization of our shared aspirations. Over the last nine years, My
Administration has built on the foundations of the previous three
administrations; adding our bricks to theirs so that the 2022
dream and beyond will be realised.
7. This last year, My Administration continued to bridge ‘the
deficits that actually matter’. We bridged the infrastructure deficit,
we bridged the deficit of accessibility to quality and affordable healthcare
for all, and we bridged the deficit of a weak agricultural regulatory
framework. We also bridged the deficit of insecurity by scaling up our
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security sector reforms; and we vastly improved the ease of doing
business in Kenya, making it easier for Kenyans to thrive in enterprise.
8. In the New Year 2022, the nation will move closer to the realization
of the Universal Health Coverage. Through our different programmes,
health care will be available to all and affordable for all. This will be
made possible because of the bold and progressive legislation we
have made to support it.
9. Similarly, in 2022 several seminal state projects will be completed
and the dividends of those public investments will be felt by Kenyans.
In the early part of 2022 for instance, the CBC Infrastructure
Programme will have delivered 10,000 classrooms across the country;
securing our children a better environment for their studies.
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10. Our landscape in the New Year will also be redefined by the
completion of the construction of major road arteries across every
part of the nation. Notably, the iconic Nairobi Expressway will be open
for use in the first quarter of the New Year.
11. Away from Nairobi, we will also complete the Kisumu Mamboleo
Road, the Eldoret Bypass; Isebania – Kisii Road; Kibwezi-
Mutumo-Kitui-Migwani Road; Garsen-Witu-Road; Laisamis-
Ngurunit Road; Makutano-Kachelieba-Konyao Road in West –
Pokot; Ngong Suswa Road; Kenol-Marua Road; the Mombasa
Roads Network; the James Gichuru- Rironi Road Expansion, and the
Mau Mau Roads.
12. In the New Year the significant progress we have made in
Affordable Housing, Food Security and the expansion of domestic
Manufacturing will become more visible. Also notable will be our
upgraded defence and internal security capabilities. In fact, we have
laid a superlative foundation for our external and internal defence upon
which future administrations can build on.
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13. In keeping with our commitment to conservation and enhancing our
heritage of splendour, in 2022 the Greening Kenya Campaign is
expected to lead us closer to the realization of the goal of a minimum of
10% forest cover. The Campaign will achieve this by the planting of an
additional 1 billion trees. I urge every Kenyan to support this worthy
initiative, as well as all others that target a Green Kenya.
14. Environmental conservation and regeneration have direct and
immediate tangible benefits. For instance, in 2022 the Nairobi
Metropolitan Area will significantly address the water scarcity that
has plagued the metropolis through the completion of the Northern
Collector Water Supply Project that is expected to double water
supply to the region.
15. Reforms in the Energy Sector will also continue a pace, with
electricity prices expected to be reviewed even further downwards by the
end of the first quarter of the year 2022.
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16. To boost tourism, trade, and social engagement; and to bolster
continental integration; our national carrier Kenya Airways will join
hands with our partners in South Africa to establish a Pan-African
Airline with unmatched continental reach and global coverage.
17. In the New Year, within the Region, for greater fraternity, security,
and shared prosperity; Kenya will join the other members of the East
African Community in welcoming the Democratic Republic of Congo to the
Community. This eagerly awaited addition to the EAC will make the
community stronger and more capable of delivering the East African
Dream.
18. Globally, Kenya’s leadership on the international stage and our
advocacy for a more free, fair, and prosperous world will continue. We
will continue to use our position in the United Nations Security Council
to promote the cause of peace, harmony, reconciliation, and
cooperation.
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Fellow Kenyans,
19. Although we have built a strong foundation for generations to
come, we can destroy it in one stroke. And that is why this New Year’s
we must reflect on the irreducible minimums required for the survival
of our Nation-State.
20. For starters, we must choose leadership over politics. Leadership
is about vision while politics is about positions. Leadership is about the
next generation, whereas politics is concerned merely with the next
election. Indeed, our obsession with politics has only slowed down the
realization of our potential as a people.
21. I say so because the colonizers introduced a virus in our African
political systems. They made us believe that the Political Kingdom was
more desirable than the Economic Kingdom.
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22. And because the pursuit of the Political Kingdom has only
entrenched poverty in Africa, we must re-think this model. Since chasing
the Political Kingdom is a relic of the colonial order, the new frontier
for Kenya must be economic development not hindered by or
contingent on politics. And there is empirical evidence to support this.
23. Despite COVID, the last 5 years have recorded the most
impressive growth in our economy. And this is because we separated
our development agenda from politics. When we chose the path of
peace and reconciliation over that of political strife, and senseless
competition, we gave the economy a chance to grow.
24. In the second quarter of this year, I reported that our real GDP
had grown by 10.1%. And the question on the lips of many was whether
this unprecedented growth was sustainable. Today, I am happy to
report that during the third quarter of this year, real GDP grew by an
impressive 9.9%.
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25. This means that the tempo of growth, set by the
second quarter, has been sustained. It also means that in the last six
months, our real GDP has grown by an average of 10%. And this was
made possible because we separated our economic agenda from
politics. If we keep this trajectory of economic development without
politics, our country has a chance to reach unprecedented heights.
26. The Second irreducible minimum is that we must continue to uphold
a justice system that restores not one that merely punishes. A
system that heals, not one that deepens wounds. A system that seeks
to improve the law, not one enslaved by the law. More so because
“…the law, without justice is a national wound without cure”
27. Thirdly, and to repeat a point I have made before, Kenya must
choose the bold path over the popular path. We must choose the
critical few who are bold over those that are not.
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28. Therefore, as we begin the New Year, we must remember that a
leader takes the bold path and blazes a trail; while a politician takes
the popular path that pleases everyone but which takes them nowhere.
If we are to become a ‘break-out-nation’, we must follow the brave.
Fellow Kenyans,
29. Let me end my address with two points. One, in 2021 we
witnessed multiple waves of COVID-19 infections, but with our
sustained controlled efforts, we achieved the targeted positivity rate of
less than 5%. But as is happening across the globe, Kenya is currently
recording a surge of infections that started in mid- December, primarily
fueled by the new Omicron variant.
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30. Despite its ease of transmissibility and infectiousness, thankfully we
are witnessing less severe infections; the majority of which need not
be managed in our hospitals, but under our well-established home-
based isolation and care system. Our critical care facilities are not
strained, and we remain on high alert to ensure that this remains
so.
31. Today 39 people are admitted in various ICU facilities
countrywide with COVID-19. Of these, 19 are on ventilatory support
and 20 are on supplemental oxygen. Our heightened surveillance
system and continued cautious approach has so far borne fruit, and
is a clear indication that we must not let our guard down, but continue
to follow the health protocols we have issued.
32. In March 2021, we began vaccination against COVID-19 as an
additional mitigation measure against the disease. To date we have
received 23 million doses of assorted vaccines and 10 million doses
have been administered to our people.
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33. This means that we have 13 Million Doses of the vaccines
available country-wide. I therefore APPEAL to all Kenyans who have
not been vaccinated to turn out and receive this life saving protection.
34. Our Government targets to vaccinate 30 million Kenyans by the
end of December 2022. In the past few months we have witnessed an
increase in vaccination rates; and so far 15% of the adult population is
fully vaccinated. And to maintain immunity against the disease, My
Administration will shortly be rolling out booster vaccine doses
starting 1
st Jan 2022 for those who have completed the primary
vaccination series in the last six months.
35. Once again, we shall begin the booster doses by prioritizing
the health care workers, security personnel, teachers, those with
co-existing medical conditions and those above 50 years of age. I
call upon this population to present themselves at the nearest vaccination
center for this crucial shot.
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36. The second and final thing has to do with our education system.
The education calendar for the New Year will kick-off in earnest on the
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rd of January, 2022. The 2022 academic year will feature four terms
and not the usual three; so as to recover the time lost as a result of
the COVID-19 disruptions. Consequently, KCPE and KCSE exams will
be administered in March/April 2022 and also in November and
December 2022.
37. To our learners, we appreciate that, just like in the year 2021, the
2022 academic calendar will similarly be long and challenging. However,
let 2022 be a year of destiny, of dreams becoming reality, and for
laying the foundation stones for a glorious future. In that regard,
I take this early opportunity to wish all our examination candidates
all the best in this year’s examinations.
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Fellow Kenyans,
38. It is my prayer that 2022 will be a year where “…plenty will be
found within our borders”. A year where leadership will reign supreme
over politics. A year of bold decisions as opposed to popular
decisions. And a year where ‘..justice will be our shield and
defender’ and the law will only serve as its tool.
39. Let the first dawn of the New Year be one that brings with it
bountiful blessings for us as individuals, families, communities, and as
a nation. To all those who suffered loss in 2021, let 2022 be a year of
healing, restoration and revival.
40. Whether you are in Kenya or in the Diaspora, I wish you all a Happy
New Year, a safe and prosperous 2022. And remember to be your
‘brother’s keeper’.
