Senior government officials led by Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i and Foreign Affairs Principal Secretary Ambassador Macharia Kamau have today met a delegation of the diplomatic corps assuring them the country is ready for the August 9 General Elections.
They also affirmed a safe post-2022 transition plan as President Uhuru Kenyatta’s tenure nears homestretch.
Matiang’i said there were elaborate plans in place to ensure the relevant instruments of power will be handed over peacefully to whoever will form the next government.
He was speaking at the Serena Hotel in Nairobi during a briefing meeting of the Cabinet Committee on National Government development projects and development partners.
The meeting that was also used to appraise the partners on election preparedness was the first round-table gathering in two years after the routine briefings were disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
It was also used to brief on the security environment, post Covid-19 Economic Recovery Strategy, and the budget implications for the completion of priority projects.
Matiang’i said enough security agencies will be mobilized to provide adequate support to the electoral body, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and the August 9 general elections.
He said more support will be provided to the electoral body if and when needed.
“Today, we have given assurance to our partners that, as a country, we are ready to proceed and facilitate the IEBC to conduct the elections. The agencies that have got the constitutional mandate to facilitate the Commission during the elections are represented here,” he said.
Matiang’i emphasised that collaboration under the national multi-sectoral consultative forum chaired by the Chief Justice was essential in aligning critical stakeholders to deliver a credible poll.
He allayed concerns that the forum was usurping the role of the IEBC.
“Whether the country will have a free and fair election is a question that only Mr. Chebukati and the IEBC can answer. We are clear that is the mandate of the IEBC. Ours is to provide whatever support IEBC requires to get it done,” the CS said.
Treasury CS Ukur Yatani said the country’s economy was on the rebound with projected average GDP growth of 7.5 percent in the first quarter of this year.
He said the stimulus packages implemented by the Government to cushion the economy during the pandemic were bearing fruits with agriculture and the hospitality industries recording impressive growth.
Briefing the same meeting, ICT CS Joe Mucheru said the government will respect the media space and will not shut down the internet.
“We sadly note there is a lot of abuse of the media in the country and especially on social media. But we will not shut it down despite the provocation and temptation to do so,” CS Mucheru said.
French Ambassador to Kenya Aline Kuster-Menager, who is also the lead in convening the diplomatic corps said regular briefing sessions reinforced development partners’ confidence in the country as an ideal investment destination.
“It is important for us partners as a group to interact very closely during this election times. It’ll help us better understand how the government is organizing itself to achieve its results and bring continuity to our processes,” she said.
The meeting also outlined interventions necessary to support sustainable development, including the mitigation of climate change.
It also emphasized the need for expeditious disbursement of funds to aid the implementation of development projects and programmes across the country.
The British High Commissioner, Jane Marriot, sought assurances that key foreign investments will not be negatively affected by election-related activities.
Responding to the diplomats’ concerns, CS Matiangi said the Government will hold regular briefing sessions on election preparedness with stakeholders.
“We have taken counsel from our partners and observations from them in a number of issues. As a country, we are much better because of the support we have received materially and in terms of policy advice. We are grateful that they are forthcoming in engaging with us on all the programmes that we have.”
The meeting was also used to brief on the government preparedness for the UN at 50 celebrations in Nairobi later this month.
Among those present were: the Attorney General Hon. Justice (Rtd) Kihara Kariuki, Environment CS Keriako Tobiko, Principal Secretaries Amb. Macharia Kamau, Dr. Julius Muia, and Dr. Chris Kiptoo, Deputy Inspector General (APS) Noor Gabow, representatives of the United Nations agencies, the World Bank, various ambassadors to Kenya, including Japan, Finland, Sweden, and South Korea among others.