President Uhuru Kenyatta has announced that the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) report will be handed to him on Tuesday next week and urged Kenyans to carefully read the proposals in the document before deciding whether to back it or not.
The President urged political leaders to be cautious when discussing the report saying the initiative should not be used to divide Kenyans.
“It is only an ignorant person who will say there are no issues in this country that require to be addressed. Let us address them as adults, as civilized human beings, let us appreciate that we may have divergent views but our objective is to make our motherland better,” the President said.
The Head of State who spoke when he presided over Kibabii University’s 4th graduation ceremony in Bungoma County assured that he will share the report with all Kenyans as soon as he receives it.
“This morning I received notification from the Chairman of the BBI process who told me they have finished it and they would like to hand over it to me.
“I told them to bring it on Tuesday and I assure you as soon as I receive it, I will read it and at the same time I will give it to all Kenyans to read it,” said the President
He expressed hope that through the report Kenyans will get a chance to improve the country by strengthening the nation’s governance architecture.
“Please let us just take time because through it, together we can come out with good things that can make our country even better, united and that can make our institutions more inclusive, our counties better managed through better governance structures,” the President said.
Addressing the graduands, parents and the Kibabii University community, President Kenyatta said higher education helps in the development of skilled workforce and contributes to the country’s global competitiveness.
He reiterated the importance of higher education in national development saying the implementation of the Big 4 Agenda and Vision 2030 economic blueprints require skilled manpower so as to achieve the goal of reducing unemployment and inequality among Kenyans.
“In a developing nation like ours, an effective formal higher education system is essential for national development. And it is in appreciation of this fact that the demand for higher education in Kenya has increased in the past few decades,” President Kenyatta said.
In order to meet the growing demand for skilled labor in the country and the region, the President said his administration has increased investment in institutions of higher learning.
He called on institutions of higher learning to re-examine their curriculums and to invest more in research saying the country still suffers a shortage of skills required to spur faster economic growth.
“To survive in the 21st Century, we must come up with a robust educational curricula that is designed to equip and enable the learners to develop and own intellectual capacities, relevant to the world today,” the President said.
The Head of State said the government has embarked on broad sector wide reforms meant to streamline the delivery of higher education and urged universities to cooperate with the Ministry of Education as it rolls out the reforms.
“Universities must also audit themselves to ensure that they get rid of the rampant duplication of degree programmes as well as rationalize their staffing levels and satellite campuses and also to professionalize their financial management structures, and incorporate good corporate governance principles, in the management of their operations,” the President said.
A total of 1,863 students graduated during today’s ceremony with seven graduating with doctorate degrees.
The President donated Shs 5 million to the Kibabii University endowment fund and challenged the university’s alumni to also contribute to the kitty meant to aid needy students.
Others who spoke at the ceremony included Education CS Prof George Magoha, Chairman of the University Council Dr Ernest Mwangi Njoroge and Vice Chancellor Prof Isaac Ipara Odeo.
Also present were Bungoma Governor Wycliffe Wangamati, Senator Moses Wetangula, Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa, Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka and several elected leaders from Bungoma County.
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