Excerpt of President Kibaki's Acceptance Speech on 31 December 2002

..."The economy which you all know has been under-performing since the last decade, is going to be my first priority. There is deepening poverty in the country. Millions of our people have no jobs. School enrolment has been declining. In fact, the agricultural sector, like all other sectors, is steadily deteriorating. Majority of our people do not have access to basic and affordable health services. Our roads and other infrastructures are dilapidated. Most of our institutions are failing and basic road services are crumbling. There is growing insecurity in our cities and towns. The list is endless.
My government will embark on policies geared to economic reconstruction, employment creation and immediate rehabilitation of the collapsed infrastructure. We shall restructure public institutions to match them with demands of a modernising society. A new development plan will be produced soon in order to give expression to the promises we made in our Election Manifesto. Provision of free primary education for all our children will be our immediate goal. Other areas to receive our immediate attention include:
Provision of greater access to affordable healthcare. Reform in the delivery of social services.
Refocus on agriculture and tourism as growth drivers of the economy.
Privatisation of non-performing public enterprises in a transparent manner, and
Improvement of security through the retaining, re-equipping and re-orientation of the security and armed forces of our country.
My government will work closely with the private sector and with our external partners to fulfil these promises. We need the support and understanding of the international community to succeed in the task we have embarked on to recreate our beloved country.
On our part, my government will use tax revenues transparently, effectively and efficiently. We shall streamline procurement procedures and close all loopholes that have in the past led to massive wastage of national public resources. ..."