SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY HON. UHURU KENYATTA, C.G.H.

, PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE DEFENCE FORCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA DURING THE FLAG RETURNING CEREMONY FOR THE KENYA RUGBY SEVENS TEAM AND FLAG PRESENTATION FOR THE TEAM TO THE WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS IN MOSCOW, RUSSIA, STATE HOUSE GARDENS, NAIROBI, 2ND AUGUST, 2013 11.00 A.M. BILA SHAKA, TWAWAJIVUNIA! Ladies and Gentlemen, I join you here to witness the return of the flag by our rugby team following a successful international tour and, at the same time, present the flag to our national Athletics squad on its way to Moscow for the World Athletics Championship. Our rugby teams have acquitted themselves most admirably on their outing, and continue to get better at the sport. I am pleased to note that our Sevens was the fourth best team worldwide at the Moscow International Rugby Board World Cup, while the 15s gave an equally outstanding performance in Madagascar. Both sides emerged best in the continent. Whilst there is still much to work for, I must acknowledge that it is no mean achievement. I therefore congratulate both teams and thank them for making this nation proud. Welcome home and receive the blessings of an admiring nation. As you prepare for the next encounters, work hard - and always try to sustain our collective journey to the very pinnacle of excellence in rugby. I am sure you will, with your talent and experience, be able to tackle the challenge ahead with panache. Asanteni sana. Ladies and Gentlemen, The Athletics team headed to Moscow for the IAAF World Athletics Championships is no doubt a fine squad. However, their sterling performance at the Daegu, South Korea edition of the Championship have raised national expectations which are now your burden to discharge. It is not an easy task. But as I have said, we fully expect you to take up the challenge and renew our pride. This expectation is strengthened by the rigorous training you underwent, and the impressive times you clocked during the team selection competition at Nyayo Stadium earlier this month. I am sad that some of our defending champions, including World Record holder David Rudisha, are out of the competition due to injury and wish them quick recovery. Whereas our expectations are high, we do not take your achievements for granted. Your world-beating exploits are now emblems of our national pride, and the role of our athletes in cementing patriotism and national solidarity is a unique national gift. We feel talented because you are talented. Our Unity mirrors your Teamwork. Our youth emulate your example, and you are the stars and beacons by which they trace their dreams. Without a doubt, we are proud of you; Bila Shaka, Twawajivunia. Fellow Kenyans, I do keenly follow the progress of all our teams at the international level, and recent trends

suggest an exciting future of tremendous success. The signs are there - of enormous potential, talent and motivation. Just recently, at the World Youth Athletics Championships held at the Ukraine, our team emerged second after Jamaica, but achieved the admirable feat of leading world sporting giants like Russia, China and the USA. This potential will be realised through the creation of structures and programmes for managing human and financial resources. This way, we develop and expose our best talents, and guarantee an infinite succession of brigades of globally unbeatable sportsmen and women. The Jubilee Manifesto contains firm pledges on improving and expanding sporting infrastructure to raise our capacity to accommodate athletes and athletic events. Training and professional support for sportsmen and women is also in this programme. Further, youth development through schools and Sport Academies are critical components of the commitment. Moreover, we will expand the menu of sporting disciplines we can excel at to avoid over-reliance of our traditional staples and increase national competitiveness. We intend to achieve this at the national level, and by supporting county governments to implement similar programmes. It is the Jubilee Government's intention to redeem this pledge in full, and we ask for your support and encourage all of you to take advantage of the resulting opportunities. Ladies and Gentlemen, I invite public and private enterprises to join a partnership with Government and accelerate the growth of sports in Kenya. The support already extended by various corporate institutions to sports programmes is gratefully acknowledged. Please keep up the exemplary work. Sport is an employer, a healthy habit and exponent of the values of teamwork, discipline, integrity, hard work and the quest to achieve personal dreams. Kenya readily testifies that sports are also an enduring source of collective glory and global recognition. Sport brands us as a people in a way we love to be seen. Therefore, our sportsmen and women are our blessing as a people. I thank each of you for your dedication, sacrifice and achievements. Your country celebrates you as our excellent ambassadors. I urge you to wear our national colours with pride, always do you best, and realise your individual aspirations through sports. On behalf of all Kenyans, I wish the National Athletics Team all the best as you embark on an historic track and field conquest in Moscow. We look forward to seeing you finish in the best ever position, and to your victorious return. God Bless You.