My Country....My Responsibility

I am in Nakuru facilitating a training on Public Policy Process in Kenya for the sixth class of the Political Leadership Development Programme. This is a programme meant to nurture the next generation of political leaders who will pioneer change in every field of the country.

But it is the last discussion of the day that has left me in deep thought. I asked the class "Can Kenya develop without help from the foreign capital and technical support?". This is not to suggest that their partnership is not important, but rather without them playing a role as significant as shaping our public policy direction through conditionalities as has been the case.

A sizeable portion of the class was convinced that no progress is possible without donor support. Their reasons ranged from notion that Kenyans lack the capacity to provide high quality service, Kenyans are poor and the economy cannot support such. They could not substantiate this claims and upon further discussions it emerged that its we the Kenyans that have refused to play our rightful role in making our country sovereign.

It was noted that no country has ever been built by foreigners. The Germans have built Germany; Koreans, Korea; Americans, America; and Kenyans must arise and build Kenya. Our country is our responsibility. This is a responsibility we can neither abdicate nor delegate without facing dire consequences. We have all we need, technical capacity, natural resources, brains, hard working people and every admirable resource a country would need. Only we need is a resolve to make it happen. The will to improve services, to have ethical leadership, to honour and respect the rule of law. To treat our sick. To educate our people. To support them to Discover, Develop and Deliver their full potential. It can be done, we must do it. Others have done it why not us.

Friends, I have for long held the view that I am fully responsible for the opportunity I have in making Kenya a better place. Today I affirm that building Kenya is my responsibility and I will not sit back as others toil. Development partners should only join in what we are doing and engage to the extent we allow them. We must fund our own development and only seek assistance when it is a must and necessary to do so. Will you join me in making this resolve?

Lets join hands and build ours that others can live to enjoy the fruits of our labour. If it is to be, then it is up to us.

In Service to God and My Country.

ARMS