SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY HON UHURU KENYATTA CGH, PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE DEFENCE FORCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA ON THE OCCASION OF OFFICER CADETS COMMISSIONING PARADE AT THE KENYA MILITARY ACADEMY, NAKURU ON WEDNESDAY 15TH OCTOBER 2014 Ladies and Gentlemen, It gives me great pleasure to join you, and to preside over the commissioning of our young officers, who will today join the officer cadre of the Kenya Defence Forces. The young men and women will immediately join national service. They have been well prepared. For the Officer Cadets, now formed up in front of us, our ceremony today marks the end of their period of training. We are proud to join them in the joy of their achievement. This is the second group of cadets under the Bachelor of Science in Military Studies degree programme that commenced their training in October 2011. The programme provided an opportunity for cadets to concurrently pursue undergraduate education, and professional military training. This degree programme, undertaken together with Kenyatta University, gives the cadets a broad liberal education that is designed to produce versatile, creative and critical thinkers who will be quick to adapt to the rapid changes and challenges they will face in their careers. I am also happy to note that after the first cycle of the degree training, which culminated in eight officers earning first class honours, the programme has been reviewed to tackle the challenges faced in the initial implementation and to also adapt to the changing challenges that relate to security. Those who stand before us are the products of this even more rigorous training. Let me also note with appreciation that the number of female officers commissioned today is larger than in previous intakes. This goes to show my Government’s commitment to equal opportunity for every Kenyan. Let me now speak directly to the young men and women. As young officers of the Kenya Defence Forces, you must understand that you are most privileged to have been chosen to serve in this noble profession You are now responsible for defending our national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Kenyans have bestowed a great trust upon each of you. Their hope is that you will never betray that trust. Your career as officers in the Kenya Defence Forces will demand continuous training, high levels of professionalism, ethics and great personal sacrifice. Your success will depend on your integrity, your discipline and your loyalty not only to the country and the Government as prescribed in the oath of allegiance you have just sworn, but also to your superiors, peers and subordinates. You receive your commissions at a time when military forces across the world are faced with something that can without exaggeration be called an information explosion. Equally, we see technological shifts so rapid that we must work harder than ever to keep ourselves up to date. Ladies and Gentlemen: These challenges demand innovative approaches. The first is to advance the knowledge and skills of our officers, so that as leaders they can understand and respond to the challenges of a world awash with terrorism, religious extremism and intolerance. The Military Studies degree programme was aimed at equipping our officer cadets with the knowledge and skills that will underpin their effectiveness as commanders and leaders of the Kenya Defence Forces. Here, I wish to commend the partnership between Kenyatta University and the Ministry of Defence, which has seen the successful implementation of the Bachelor of Science in Military Studies degree programme and the launch of the Masters of Science in Strategic Studies degree programme. Already, we can see the results of these shifts in emphasis. Kenya military personnel play a major role in United Nations Peacekeeping missions all over the world, proof of the respect our men and women in uniform have earned from the United Nations, and the Security Council in particular. Equally, my government and the people of Kenya deeply appreciate the work of the KDF in operation LINDA NCHI. The confidence shown in our troops by our people, as well as our friends and neighbours shows the high standard of our military training and professionalism we have attained. Indeed, I note with satisfaction that our respective military cooperates in diverse training programmes with our neighbours and friends in the region, which is why we have with us cadets from Uganda, Tanzania and Rwanda. I congratulate the officers from these countries who are commissioning today, and, with brotherly affection, I wish them the very best in their careers. Ladies and Gentlemen, Allow me now to emphasize the fact that the KDF continues to be a symbol of our nationhood. The relationship between members drawn from diverse communities of Kenya, living and working together for a common national goal is a manifestation of what our country has the potential to be, if only we set aside our divisions. That is why you have been, and remain, a model of integration for us all. Let me close these few remarks, by remembering those of our men and women who have fallen in the line of duty. May they rest in peace, and may their example of dedication always live in our memory. I now congratulate the newly commissioned officer. Thank you very much and may God bless you.
Posted on: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 13:48:36 +0000
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