KENYAN PRESIDENT UHURU KENYATTA ADDRESSES PAP: EXPRESSES OPTIMISM THAT AFRICA WILL OVERCOME HER CHALLENGES

KENYAN PRESIDENT UHURU KENYATTA ADDRESSES PAP: EXPRESSES OPTIMISM THAT AFRICA WILL OVERCOME HER CHALLENGES

Kenyan President, His Excellency Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta has expressed optimism that with the establishment of the Pan African Parliament,  Africans have taken their precept of unity to heart. Speaking as the Guest of Honour at the official opening of the Sixth Ordinary Session of the Third Parliament of the Pan African Parliament (PAP), President Kenyatta stated that  PAP was set up to ensure that the peoples of Africa were involved in the economic development  and integration of the continent. He noted that the protocol that created the Parliament laid out some very specific objectives, chief among which is “to strengthen continental solidarity and build a sense of common destiny among the peoples of Africa”.

Drawing attention to the challenge of insecurity in general and more specifically, the growing threat of terrorism as a global phenomenon, President Kenyatta expressed concern over the radicalization of young people which has today, extended beyond national or even continental borders.

President Kenyatta maintained that this challenge requires unfailing solidarity between our states and a joint action plan between our national and regional levels adding that the solidarity cannot be achieved if we do not break away from the artificial boundaries created by our colonial masters. He noted that for Kenya in particular, terrorism is a major concern and her vulnerability makes it imperative for all nations to forge close ties and be attuned to developments relating to this threat in other parts of the world.

According to President Kenyatta, “As Africans, we can either put aside our differences and find common ground on which to build our future together, or we can remain divided in which case,  we will be dominated by the very same pitiless forces that once enslaved us. When we remember the conflicts that still rage in pockets of the continent, I wonder whether we have learned that lesson as well as they did.” He noted that the genesis of the conflict in Africa could be traced to colonialism and reasoned that there are people who are benefiting from these terrorist acts such manufacturers and dealers of arms and ammunition.

Continuing, President Kenyatta noted that for all the challenges that Africa still face, the continent will confound the pessimists and eventually achieve the prosperity, the freedom and the dignity that are our birthright. President Kenyatta noted that the future of the continent cannot be left to the good graces of outside interests and condemned dependence on foreign aid which so often carries terms and conditions that precludes progress.

He wondered why it is easier for Africans to trade with Asia, Europe and the Americas rather than with fellow Africans. According to him, Africa has ended up as a source of raw materials, exporting jobs that justifiably belong to our youths which he said must stop. “Africa must use her resources to create jobs for her young people. African must significantly open up her markets to Africa to promote this ideal”. He condemned the xenophobic attacks in South Africa and advised that Africans must open her borders to each other  and must loose the fear of parochial and narrow in which we see ourselves as competitors.