Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi Sunday commended the efforts being undertaken by Kenya in midwifing the regional peace processes in neighbouring countries.
Mudavadi said the peace initiatives being championed under President William Ruto’s administration to see that normalcy returns in eastern Democratic of Congo, South Sudan and conflict-ridden Sudan are geared towards ensuring that Kenya is safe too.
He supported the recent appointment of Kenya’s opposition leader, Raila Odinga, as Kenya’s special envoy to South Sudan to aid in peace talks aimed at preventing further escalation of conflict in the war-torn country.
“The President is doing so much to ensure that we realize regional stability and peace to help us focus on addressing issues that affect the well-being of the citizens rather than dedicating our efforts in resolving conflicts which in turn affect development,” said Mudavadi.
“We should not take the peace and unity of our country for granted, if Kenyans witness the happening in our neighbouring countries, then they will appreciate the peace we enjoy back home.”
Mudavadi cautioned those politicizing the regional efforts on peace where Kenya is playing a major role saying Kenya has demonstrated over and over again to be a beacon of peace and stability in the region.
Speaking during an Iftar dinner in Malindi, Kilifi County, Mudavadi maintained that the President was not overstepping on his mandate as his critics had portrayed.
He said the government is actively taking the peace process in its neigbouring countries to prevent a spillover effect of the instability in the neighbouring countries in Kenya.
“What the President is doing is a preventive measure so that Kenya does not get itself in such a situation where our national peace and security is compromised as a result of conflict in the neighbouring countries. When peace effort comes from Kenya, people tend to think that we are wasting efforts. I want to tell you that if all these countries become insecure around us, the instability will spill over to our country,” Mudavadi asserted.
“Kenya will do anything possible to address the instability and conflicts witnessed in the region to help our country from sinking into a similar situation. It will be more expensive if the trouble comes to meet us here.”
He revealed that the government remains fully committed to ensuring that the warring parties reach an agreement.
Mudavadi also cautioned Kenyans against compromising the internal peace and unity saying as much as maintain peace is an expensive affair, living without peace especially in a conflict prone country or region is even more expensive.
“Let us embrace unity and dialogue that’s why President Ruto embraced broad-based government, hatutaki vurugu ambayo haina maana.”
“Let us pull together to make Kenya great, and we can disagree which is also right and let us disagree from time to time, but we should not fight. Let us work together, let us correct each other, let us criticize each other but let us be reasonable in what we do so that we move forward together knowing that the golden age of aid is over,” added Mudavadi.
He reminded Kenyans that the golden age of aid is over and therefore for Kenya to have enabling economy for the growth of its GDP the peace situation in the country should be favourable.
“Sometimes people think it is a game, it is not a game and we need to tell our children it is not a game anymore even when they try to disrupt peace in their institutions of learning, they should always remember that conflict is an expensive affair.”
Mudavadi urged the people of Kilifi to support the governments agenda across board assuring them that the Universal Health Care program is on course and where there were loopholes, fixes have been set up.
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