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"id": 1130057,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1130057/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta",
"speaker_title": "His Excellency the President",
"speaker": {
"id": 168,
"legal_name": "Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta",
"slug": "uhuru-kenyatta"
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"content": "Once again, as we have always done, we have shown that Kenyans are a people who put country above self and neighbour above individual. We are a people who firmly believe in exercising our rights and freedoms in a responsible and purposive manner. While a few battles have been won, the war against COVID-19 is not yet won. We cannot rest on our laurels. Now, more than ever, we are faced with yet another variant of this Corona Virus - the Omicron variant - that is said to carry a higher risk of infection. This variant may explain the infection rate spikes we are witnessing across the globe. I pledged to the nation in June this year that by Christmas we would have over 10 million adults vaccinated. As of today, we have achieved a target of 7.1 million Kenyans, up from 5 million as announced on Mashujaa Day in October 2021. Hon. Speakers, to fortify our national resolve against COVID-19, and in honour of all the Kenyans we have lost to the disease, I today urge all Kenyan adults to visit their nearest medical facility to receive their COVID-19 vaccination. The COVID-19 vaccines are in stock across all our counties. Already, with a daily average rate of over 100,000 vaccinations, we have a much smaller target to meet within the next 25 days. Therefore, I once again call on all Kenyans to rally under the call of “25 days to Christmas” to secure their vaccinations to meet and surpass the target that we set ourselves. I invite the media, in all its various forums and forms, to use their platforms to perform the social good and promote the vaccination campaign. This new variant’s profile remains unknown for now. It is, therefore, better to err on the side of caution. By receiving our vaccinations, we will have played our part in securing not only our own lives, but also in protecting the lives of those around us. Let us be responsible in this endeavour. That shot in the arm is our most powerful weapon against a disease that has ravaged the world. That shot in the arm of every adult Kenyan will also be a shot in the arm for our economy and our social institutions. It ensures that, if we can conquer and put this disease aside and fully return to normal, we can continue on our growth trajectory. No Kenyan should hold back from this perfectly safe and free way to protect themselves, their families, their neighbours, their colleagues and the nation at large. Let us tear down this disease, ladies and gentlemen. Hon. Speakers, throughout our history, the collective task of nation-building has been guided by the shared aspirations of eradicating the indignities of ignorance, disease and hunger. This was the vision that fuelled our struggle for Independence. Post-Independence, every Kenyan generation and administration since has sought to do all within its means to finally slay the three- headed monster that has plagued us for over many centuries. To steer the nation towards a path for the realisation of these aspirations, the people of Kenya entrusted the responsibility of actualising that vision to the elected and appointed State officials, and officers to whom the powers of our nation have been delegated. These elected and appointed State officers include 47 Governors, 350 Members of the National Assembly, 67 Members of the Senate and 2,240 Members of the County Assemblies. We are many but, we must act as one -one Government of Kenya that acts in unison to give the people of Kenya a better present and a brighter future. Our collective contributions to move the nation closer to her destiny of a fairer, just and equitable Kenya for all, builds on the intentions of previous administrations as supported by the Houses of Parliament and the organs of the state. I say this fully aware of our enormous work and that this enormous work cannot be concluded in one generation. Ours is a relay race where we receive the baton and run the race, and pass it on to our successors, unbroken. This most notable The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}