Kenyan leader pledges to focus on unity, economy

NAIROBI, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday promised to focus on economic development and work with all Kenyans in his second and final term in office.

Kenyatta, who addressed the nation during 54th Independence Day celebrations in Nairobi, spelt out four pillars of his vision for economic growth, and vowed to respect the constitution by shifting from politics to transforming the east African nation.

He said the Big Four -- food security, affordable housing, manufacturing, and affordable healthcare -- are the pillars of his vision to transform Kenya economically.

"The Big Four will create jobs, which will enable our people to meet their basic needs. Jobs will transform the lives of our people from that of hardship and want, to new lives of greater comfort and well-being. And that is the future I have seen," Kenyatta said.

The Kenyan leader said the Big Four will build on the foundation laid in his first term in sectors such as transport, electricity distribution, education, and ICT.

He said Kenya has lost many golden opportunities because leaders have elevated politics to a level higher than economic prosperity.

Kenyatta said poverty, as well as weak nations and conflicts in Africa, were a consequence of a wrong approach to nation-building that focused on politics at the expense of the economic well-being of the people.

"Poverty is not our fate as Africans," he said. "It is merely the outcome of the wrong solutions and priorities by leaders and their followers."

"For proof of this, you only need to take a look at the countries that have focused on politics for its own sake, and they abound on our continent," he said.

Kenyatta, who was sworn into office for his second term on Nov. 28, said he will unite and lead Kenyans to make a paradigm shift that will place equal opportunity, dignity for all and the pursuit of material prosperity for all above politics.

"I have seen the future, and it is at hand. The pursuit of politics for politics' sake is the past; the pursuit of political leadership for economic liberation is the future," he said. "And it is up to us, as Kenyans, to deliver it."

Kenyatta said he is willing to engage with all Kenyans -- including leaders of the opposition -- in focusing the nation on economic transformation.

"I reach out to all Kenyans to help in achieving our common goal of peace, stability and prosperity for all. It is our shared responsibility to work for these ends, knowing that we all have a role to play and that we all must listen to one another," he said.

He warned that his government will not tolerate any acts that treat Kenya's constitutional order with casual recklessness.

"The constitution is the general will of all. No one is above it: no matter who you are, you are subject to its authority. Anything outside the constitution is a hostile intrusion," he said. Enditem