President Mwai Kibaki Tuesday officially launched the Kenya Vision 2030 and its first five-year Medium Term Plan and appealed to Kenyans to unite in ensuring the successful implementation of the development blueprints.
Speaking during the launch at Kenyatta International Conference Centre, President Kibaki said the development blueprints would provide the necessary guideline to make Kenya a better country.
The President pointed out that the Kenya Vision 2030 and its five-year Medium Term Plan, which were realized from the harmonization of the manifestos of partner parties of the Grand Coalition Government, represented the collective vision of wananchi and their aspiration for a better Kenya.
In this regard, the President stressed the need for leaders and wananchi to pull together towards achieving the country's development goals.
"Let us all unite in building our country. I have no doubt in my mind that we will succeed if we all work together towards improving our country," President Kibaki said.
The President called on Kenyans to co-exist peacefully, saying the post-election violence that affected parts of the country was a big mistake that should not be allowed to recur.
"We should realize that we all belong to the wider Kenyan community and make up our minds that we will never again fight one another but instead stick to the path of development that we had embarked on," President Kibaki said.
President Kibaki said Kenyans should learn from the post-election challenges and vow to stick to the development path outlined by the Kenyan Vision 2030 and its five-year Medium Term Plan.
Said President Kibaki: "We need to forgive each other and forget the past. Let us open a new chapter that will herald accelerated development for the benefit of present and future generations."
Expressing satisfaction that the country was now back to productivity, the President urged wananchi to never again listen to those who are still bent on preaching divisive politics.
He said Kenyans should shun petty squabbles and instead focus on ensuring that the country's economic growth is accelerated beyond the 7 per cent growth rate achieved last year.
Paying tribute to the nation's founding father Mzee Jomo Kenyatta and former President Daniel Arap Moi for laying the foundation for the country's development, President Kibaki said it was the duty of the current leadership to ensure Kenya forged ahead.
"We are capable of making Kenya even better. What we need to do is make up our minds that we will not allow personal interests to override those of the country," President Kibaki said.
The Head of State once again lauded the formation of the Grand Coalition Government, saying it provided the vehicle for not only uniting the country but also consolidating divergent views geared towards building a prosperous nation.
In this connection, President Kibaki appealed to all legislators to dedicate their energies on serving the electorate in whatever positions they held.
"It is now time to join hands in serving wananchi and building our country. Let us not quarrel over Cabinet positions," the President advised.
On the ongoing resettlement of the Internally Displace Persons (IDPs), President Kibaki called on leaders to devote all their efforts to assisting those who are still in camps and those who are reconstructing their homesteads.
He expressed optimism that with the available resources in the country and the support from development partners, the ongoing resettlement of IDPs will succeed.
Speaking during the launch, Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka lauded the Kenya Vision 2030 and its first five-year Medium Term Plan, saying it was a roadmap for the improvement of the country and all Kenyans should support their implementation.
Other speakers included Planning Minister Wycliffe Oparanya, the Head of Public Service and Secretary to the Cabinet Amb. Francis Muthaura and the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Planning, National Development and Vision 2030, Dr. Edward Sambili.
