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

, PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE DEFENCE FORCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA AT THE AFRICAN UNION SUMMIT, ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA, 30TH JANUARY, 2014 Your Excellency Ato Hailemariam Desalegn, Prime Minister of Ethiopia and Chair of the Union, Dr. !osa"ana Dlamini#$uma, Chairperson of the commission of the African Union, Excellencies, Heads of %tate and &o'ernment here assem(led, )t is a pleasure to *oin so many distinguished leaders at this %ummit. +hen last ) stood (efore you, to *oin in cele(rating the fiftieth anni'ersary of this Union,s foundation, ) recalled that ours -as a story of re(irth and rene-al. .ur Union -as (orn in a time of great ad'ersity, and our elders and (etters faced trials -e can no- only dimly understand. )n the face of a cruel and apparently immo'a(le colonial order, their am(ition and courage did not fail them/ they committed themsel'es to the total li(eration of this continent. +e ha'e recently had occasion to cele(rate the life, and regret the lea'ing, of one of these mighty elders, elson 0olihlahla Mandela. Excellencies, .ur elders and li(erators fought and -on that great -ar. +e, their heirs, ha'e not al-ays li'ed up to their standards. 1oo often, -e ha'e chosen discord o'er peace2 too often -e ha'e chosen greed o'er the common good2 too often, -e ha'e chosen the -ishes of outsiders o'er the needs of those entrusted to our care. 3ut it -ould (e futile to deny that change is in the air. )n recent years, a democratic spirit has s-ept the continent. Africans ha'e found ne'oice2 they are tal!ing (ac! to their leaders. +e might not al-ays li!e -hat -e hear, (ut that is democracy. Africans ha'e redisco'ered their confidence. +here once -e deferred to outsiders, no- there is a calm

self#assurance. .utsiders might not al-ays en*oy the encounter, (ut that is so'ereignty. Africans are re'i'ing the promise of prosperity in regional and continental cooperation2 the (onds of solidarity that sustained our fore(ears in the dar!est of times still (ind. +e no- call on those (onds of solidarity to defend their legacy. )n the last fe- months, particularly in the Central Africa 0epu(lic and in %outh %udan, -e ha'e (een reminded of the terror, destruction and fear that ci'il conflict (rings. 1hese conflicts, so near to us, remind us that -e must *oin hands -ith our neigh(ours to pre'ent them (rea!ing, and respond to them -hen they do (rea!, as occasionally they -ill. +ith our partners in East Africa, -e are (uilding a 0apid Deployment Capa(ility -ithin the frame-or! of the East Africa %tand(y 4orce2 my go'ernment has already stood a fully#fledged 0apid Deployment Capa(ility that -ill (e acti'ated in emergencies. )t is not enough/ the full 'alue of this capacity -ill (e reali"ed only -hen all our states stand e5ui'alent capa(ilities, and can meet any threat to our nations, regions and the continent 5uic!ly, firmly and *udiciously. 1hat is -hy ) am glad to recei'e and endorse the call made in the Declaration (y the Ministers of Defence, that all of us ought to meet our o(ligations to ensure that the African %tand(y 4orce is ready for deployment (y 6789. Excellencies, .ur partners and friends ha'e (een of great help to us. 3ut to rely on outside help for our security -ould (e to sully our independence. )n any case, the help is often inade5uate to our needs, and its application inflexi(le. %o, recalling -ith you Article 68:6; of the AU protocol on Peace and %ecurity, and as part of <enya,s 97th anni'ersary, as -ell as an expression of solidarity -ith our continent,s determination to secure its future, ) today announce a 'oluntary contri(ution of one million dollars to the AU Peace 4und. .ur contri(ution may (e used to-ards the actuali"ation of Exercise Amani Africa. )t may (e put to-ards the reali"ation of the African

%tand(y 4orce (y 6789. +hiche'er -ay it is used, -e ha'e made concrete our commitment to solidarity and peace in this time of conflict. Excellencies, )t is hard to see ho- anything could (e as 'ital to our li(erty from foreign domination as self#reliance in food. Here too, -e must admit that -e ha'e fallen (elo- the standards of the past, and are only no(eginning to reco'er. Hunger, and the 'iolence and strife -hich follo- it, ha'e torn apart lands and li'es across the continent. Hundreds of millions of our people remain uncertain of their next meal. Climate change, in all its uncertainties, looms. 1he leadership represented at this Union, ) am glad to say, is -illing and a(le to match the am(ition of our li(erators. A decade ago it adopted a comprehensi'e program for African agriculture, -ith the aim of ending hunger on the continent (y 6789 = if the goal is am(itious, the pro(lem is large. 1-o years ago, it determined that 678> -as the year of African Agriculture and 4ood %ecurity. 1his year, at this %ummit, -e ta!e stoc! and chart the path ahead. 1he -or! of the last decade has not (een 'ain. &ro-th in agriculture, ) gather, has a'eraged nearly > percent since the adoption of the program in 677?, far (etter than it has (een in the past. More than thirty of us ha'e committed to spending 87 percent of their &DP on our agricultural sectors. )nno'ation in science and technology has leapt high o(stacles/ the prudent use of tissue culture has dou(led (anana yields, and tripled the yield per hectare in <enya. 0esearch partly funded (y the African De'elopment 3an! = and may ) than! my friend Dr. Donald <a(eru!a, the 3an! President for this ## has (rought hardier, more nutritious strains of rice to African ta(les. Excellencies, o one can deny our progress. o one can deny that much remains to (e done. 1he (road shape of the road ahead is clear. +e ha'e pro'en

adept users of mar!ets, information and ne- technologies. @et us put them to use in deli'ering oursel'es from hunger. Excellencies, .ur challenges are momentous. +e -ould not (e human if -e did not occasionally dou(t that -e could meet them. )n these moments of dou(t, -e should return to the matter of legacy. .ur elders defied and defeated greater foes, a truth to -hich the life of elson Mandela (ears elo5uent -itness. 1his union, fifty years old, is a li'ing reminder of their triumph. @et the memory of their deeds inspire ours. Your Excellencies, ) than! you all.