President Uhuru Kenyatta has said that Kenya will continue with its robust efforts to promote peace and stability in neighbouring countries.
The President said it is in Kenya’s interest to have a stable Somalia and South Sudan, two of the immediate neighbouring nations that have been most affected by insecurity.
He said Somalia remains troubled, largely by foreign agents, who are weakening its government and dividing its people. The foreign agents troubling Somalia are also threatening to reverse the gains won under the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces.
The Head of State, who spoke when he delivered the State of Nation Address at Parliament, said Kenya will continue supporting Somalia to regain stability.
“Through it all, we remember that if our brothers and sisters in Somalia prosper, we prosper; if they are safe, so are we. It has been our policy, then, to help them regain the peace and prosperity they once knew,” said the President.
He said Kenya has continued helping Somalia secure funding and support commensurate to its challenges.
The President recalled his visit to Somalia last year during which he spoke to Kenyan soldiers serving as part of the AMISOM forces.
“Their courage and their devotion to their mission were extraordinarily inspiring. I ask you, Hon. Members, to keep them in your prayers and in your deliberations; and to devote yourself as wholeheartedly as they have to our region’s peace and the security,” said the President.
President Kenyatta said Kenya is also engaged in efforts to support South Sudan find a solution to its internal crisis.
He said Kenya continues to stand with the people of South Sudan and has lent support to multilateral peace process.
“We continue to urge the leaders of South Sudan to put the interests of their people and motherland above their own,” said the President.
The President said the East African Community is making progress with Kenya playing a leading role in championing integration.
He said Kenya is committed to unity of the region and also for the continent.
He said Kenya has set a trend by opening its borders for EAC citizens who can now live and work in the country more easily than ever.
The President said Africa also stands a good chance of economic progress following the signing of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement.
By PSCU
