GOVERNMENT OF KENYA

PRESS BRIEFING
DECEMBER 30, 2016.
Thank you for joining us. I trust you enjoyed the Christmas period.
THE YEAR 2016.
As we close the year, the Government is satisfied that

more than any

other period in history, Kenya has made major steps towards achieving
the Vision 2030. Key infrastructural milestones have been achieved
towards giving Kenya a Standard gauge railway: a national ambition
dating back to 1960s when the world commenced the shift from the
type of railway which was laid here by the Britons more than 1 century
ago.
You will recall that the Vision 2030 is a development blue print covering
the period from 2008 to 2030. It aims to transform Kenya into a newly
industrializing middle income country by 2030. It was developed
through an all-inclusive, stakeholder driven participatory process and
involved Kenyans from every part of the country. The process also
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benefitted

immensely

from

local

development in similar countries.

and

international

experts

on

It is based on three pillars namely

economic, social and political.

Implementation of the National Digital Literacy Program has also started
in earnest in all the counties making Kenya the 1st country in Africa to
implement such a program in public primary schools. The National
Water Management Masterplan drawn in the 1970s and 1980s is now
well in progress. This is to mention but a few infrastructural projects
which have converted the Vision 2030 from a national dream to a
specific, achievable, time bound project. With the most infrastructural
foundations laid, Kenyans can reasonably sit back

and confidently

watch the country move to the newly industrialized middle income

economy manifested by the vision 2030 in this lifetime.
DOCTORS STRIKE

However the year has also experienced one the most unfortunate

challenges. It is unfortunate because it is a challenge visited upon

ordinary Kenyans by fellow Kenyans who going by their education and
standing on society ought to know better. These are the members of
the Kenya Medical Practitioners,

Pharmacists and Dentists Union,

people who hold the qualifications they hold largely because the Kenya
tax payer has paid for their education and training. You will recall that
on 5th of December 2016 the Doctors commenced their strike.
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Subsequently a court of law declared the strike illegal on the basis of

the facts it was both premature and procedural to call the strike at theta
point a facts the striking doctors have never contradicted in their
numerous public statements.
It is important to note that the CBA they have cited as the basis of their
strike was signed on specific conditional procedures which were yet to
be completed when the strike commenced. As a show of goodwill and in
recognition of common denominator (humanity in need of health care)
the government still went ahead and offered the Doctors a significant
salary increments pushing the lowest salary entry point to a gross of
Kshs 180,000 for a fresh graduate.
Today, the Government reminds the KMPDU that the collective
bargaining agreement signed on 27th June 2016, was contingent on and
subject to advice from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission as
well as the National Treasury. The Salaries and remuneration
Commission has since given their position and the Treasury has already
provided what the Kenyan tax payer can afford. Secondly KMPDU needs
to remember that Health is a devolved function as per the constitution
of Kenya and no CBA can be binding unless it accordingly compliant.
The Government continues to recognize the vital role doctors play in our
country and appreciates the welfare issues raised by the KMPDU.
However, the Government urges members of KMPDU, like all other
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Kenyans to fit within the law of land. The government is also aware that
several doctors who are faithful to their calling have continued to offer
services to Kenyans in need, is some cases gratis. We are encouraging
these individual medics who have been driven by their patriotism and
love for humanity to continue offering these services.
Other professionals have been held hostage by a recalcitrant union
leadership which has increasing gone egoistic. Whereas we are urging
the Union leadership to see reason and empathize with the humanity
who rely on their services to survive, the government is open to
dialogue with either individual or groups of medics who are prepared to
negotiate with civility and within the law.
CITIZEN SECURITY.
We address ourselves to the issues surrounding the amendments to the
Election Laws (Amendment) Act passed by parliament in August. The
government wishes to appreciate the strategy taken by the Senate in
that it has sought to give Kenyans a sober rational opportunity to
discuss this matter of critical national interest.
Without prejudice to any ongoing efforts to reach a workable solution
through a nationally cordial process, and in the interested of the
ordinary citizen who might not understand what the political dialogue is
all about, we wish to draw the attention of the public to a few realities
about modern Information and Communication Technology in relation to
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the transmission of massive data within a defined time limit which

managing a general election in Kenya is. Without laboring about the
excitement and tension an election in Kenya elicits at the best of times
and without going into the details of the facts that Kenyas election is
basically a six in one i.e. MCA, MP, Women Rep, Governor , Senator
And President these are the universal realties which we need to bear in
mind:
The fast reality is that no one person is in full control of the process and
therefore nobody can be able to explain any hitch immediately it occurs.
We shall be transmitting from all known 31,000 polling stations with a
possibility that they will increase. In several parts of this country
keeping voters in the que without explanation can create a very
explosive situation.
The second one is hacking. In the current debate, most commentators
on hacking are only looking at their political opponents as the possible
hackers. The reality is that the leadership of a country attract several
interests of all kinds and there are uncountable persons and entities
who can easily want to hack into the system. Like several institutions
especially banks have experienced, the motives ranges all the way from
just pure mischief to terrorists groups who have continuously expressed
their interest in destabilizing Kenya.
The 3rd one is viruses, virus have been a reality in the short history of
ICT and their effect range from distorting data all the way to stalling

the whole system . Of course the last possible barrier to guard against
is a normal break down.
In the long run, our collective ambition is to have a system that ensures
the

we have an election that is expeditious and can work to a

reasonable degree of predictability to the furthest extent possible.

Experiments can be very expensive for this country. In actual sense
having an alternative gives a greater assurance that the technology
system will work because it will remove the motivating factor for
hackers, malicious intrusion and other possible human initiated failure.

The amendments seeking to allow for manual voter identification and

results transmission in cases of technological failure should therefore to
b ken as an ordinary prudent measure and not a subject of needless
political heat.
The government appreciates all the current efforts through the
established political and judicial machinery and emphasize the fact
theses legitimate systems are adequate. On this and several other
issues which must arise as we move towards the August elections, we
wish to emphasize that for the ordinary citizen Kenyan peace, security
and social stability is a fundamental basic as they strive to develop
themselves and the country.

Therefore as we move to the New Year, the challenge goes to all

political players. It is incumbent upon our politicians from all parts of the
divide to assure Kenyans that they will take all measures necessary to
cooperate with the security agencies and ensure that national security,
and the countrys investment environment shall not be compromised by
any of their contemplated political action in the New Year.
I now take this opportunity this to wish you a happy new 2017.

Kiraithe E.K. (MBS)

Government Spokesman.