STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT UHURU KENYATTA ON REVIVAL OF PAN PAPER – WEBUYE

April 28, 2016

”I am very pleased to address you this morning, and to inform you of an important milestone in our country’s industrial history.

When the Jubilee Administration took office three years ago, we promised to improve the lives of our people. As a Government, we were, and remain convinced that empowering the private sector is the surest way to hasten economic transformation, and to achieve this noble goal for every Kenyan. Uchumi and usawa, are indeed, our watchwords.

Our manifesto didn’t confine itself to promoting only local investors but also sought to position Kenya as the continent’s manufacturing and technology hubby tapping from the international investors.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is our strategy to make Kenya the preferred gateway to Africa for investors; and the natural home for a thriving army of local and international entrepreneurs.

Then, as now, that meant that we needed to attract fresh investment. It also meant that we would have to take full advantage of the growing demand for manufactured goods in the region.

That is the ambition that drives our efforts to reduce the cost of doing business, as well as to address every challenge that holds back our innovators. That’s why my Administration has put in place elaborate programmes to make Kenya’s business environment more attractive and globally competitive.

Some of the initiatives we are implementing include: the 40-month programme to substantially expand power generation, largely from environmentally friendly and less expensive sources in order to reduce its cost. Other important measures worth mentioning, is the fast tracking of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project; and the 10,000km road and infrastructure programme.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today marks a major milestone in that journey to industrialization and prosperity.

This morning, I have been briefed by Price Waterhouse Coopers, who are the joint receivers of Pan Paper Mills, about an agreement they have reached with a strategic investor to purchase the assets of a plant that would have otherwise been to waste.

The agreement provides not just for the purchase of the mill, but also for the revival of an industrial icon in western Kenya, a major source of livelihood for our people from this region.

For Kenyans born in the 60’s and 70’s, Panpaper represented a symbol of Kenya’s progress. Webuye was a vibrant town, with a diligent, productive population of workers, traders and their families. Over the years the mill suffered a number of business set-backs — in spite of spirited efforts by the previous Administration, which injected billions of shillings. This took a toll on the economy of the region and rendered many of our people from this region without reliable source of livelihood.

Today is a great day marking the start of the revival of this Mill. Gathered here with me today are representatives of the people of Western Kenya, including Members of Parliament, the Governor of Bungoma, Government officials and private sector players — all of whom join us to witness the first step of the revival.

This mill has for the last decade been plagued by massive debt, and improper management, all of which have conspired to deprive Bungoma, and Western Kenya more widely, of the jobs and prosperity it deserves.

The handover of the Mill to the new investor is scheduled to happen next week; and plans are to re-start its operations within the next three months.  The investor has also pledged to inject over the next few years 60 million US dollar, which, at the current exchange rate, is about 6billionKenya shillings.

I am informed this investment will yield close to 1,500 jobs for the people of Bungoma and Western Kenya within the next 3 years. The good news also is that the investor has given an assurance that former employees of Pan Paper Mills will be given priority as the initial employees to be re-absorbed into the business.

I would like to add that the people of Western Kenya can be certain that my Government will be at hand to support them as they reclaim their jewel.

Indeed, the Jubilee Administration will fully support the revival of the mill. In this regard, I direct all relevant agencies of Government to expeditiously play their role in the process.

Let me close by setting out the next major step of the revival. The Cabinet Secretary for Industry, Investment and Trade, together with other stakeholders, will convene a further briefing session in the coming days to share more details on this great and important milestone.

I also want to thank the Investor for the confidence he has shown our country and the economic policies and structural reforms we are implementing to promote private sector. I also wish to reassure the people of Western Kenya that this Administration stands for them, and that we will continue to support them throughout this process.

God bless you all. God bless Kenya.”

IEBC should show cause why it should not be disbanded

One of the topics that has dominated the headlines this weekend was the disbandment of IEBC. Leaders from different quarters, lead by the opposition are calling for its disbandment claiming it cannot be trusted.

One thing is clear though, IEBC lost credibility after the much publicized Chicken Gate Scandal where the chair Issack Hassan and his were linked to a Sh50 Million corrupt deals with Smith & Ouzman ahead of 2013 General elections. Little has been done to prosecute those involved and IEBC should stop thinking Kenyans have forgotten about this.

After the scanadal, the opposition listed down some demands. You can read about those demands here.

One of the demands the oppositing gave was the immediate resignation of all the officers and former officers mentioned in this scandal, their immediate arrest and their immediate prosecution. What has been done so far? Little if nothing.

The opposition made it clear that the IEBC should show cause why it cannot be disbanded, something which the electoral body has not done.

The opposition, the  NCCK, Catholic Church and even the Civil Society have already indicated their lack of trust the commission. If an institution loses trust in the people, what is so hard for them to resign? You cannot expect an institution which has been linked to a massive corruption scandal to be trusted to even conduct the next General election.

The Deputy President and other leaders have come out strongly attacking the opposition over the calls to disband IEBC. The DP yesterday said they don’t need IEBC to win the next elections. Honestly, no one cares about who wins the next elections or not, Kenyans want a credible institution which can be trusted to manage these elections. Kenyans are asking for impartiality, inclusiveness, transparency, integrity and accuracy which IEBC has failed to prove it is capable of doing.

On Monday morning, the opposition camped at the IEBC offices to call for its disbandment, it might have not been the right channel for CORD to use, well. The Jubilee coalition has on the other hand told CORD to use the legal means in disbanding the commission.  Bottom line, the  opposition needs to go home unless they show cause why they should remain in office.

#GraftDiaries: Corruption is bleeding Kenya to death

#GraftDiaries, that is the number one trending topic in Kenya now among Kenyans on Twitter, #KOT as they are commonly known. Of course this comes after yesterday’s news item on KTN about the corruption allegations that have recently marred members of the national assembly’s committee.

The members have been in the spotlight over political conspiracies to doctor parliaments investigative reports either for rent seeking or shielding their cronies from being mentioned adversely.

Currently Members of the public accounts committee are being investigated by the powers and privileges committee over claims of bribery and extortion to alter sensitive reports or misplace key files.

So just what is ailing this country? Corruption continues to be a disease and the sad thing is the same government that promised to fight it is doing nothing about it.

Vladimir Putin once said, those who fight corruption should first be clean themselves. Is this the case in our dear country? Both the anti-corruption commission and our leaders are only working to satisfy their selfish interests. It is all about ”Scratch my back, I scratch yours”

Corruption is costing us too much as a country, it is bleeding Kenya to death. It is corruption that make terrorists find their way easily into this country, the same corruption makes the cost of living go high, It is killing innocent Kenyans on our roads. This are just among the many ugly things that are happening under the watch of the government, the same government that is supposed to be ensuring there is transparency everywhere.

The Orange Democratic Movement’s national executive committee has now challenged the speaker of the national assembly Justin Muturi to dissolve all committee’s and allow for thorough investigations.As i had indicated in my previous post, the same should be extended to all public offices.

Alan Greenspan also once said, Corruption, embezzlement, fraud, these are all characteristics which exist everywhere. It is regrettably the way human nature functions, whether we like it or not. What successful economies do is keep it to a minimum. No one has ever eliminated any of that stuff, but the Jubillee administration has to prove this point wrong.

In case you missed the KTN news item, here it is

What does the president want us to do to show him that we are indeed tired? His administration is so out of control. It is so bloated and infested with fraud and deceit and corruption and abuse of power. He needs to do something.

#KanaliSpeaks