Uhuru Kenyatta fields tough questions on Jubilee progress at editors’ meet

Updated Friday, July 12th 2013 at 22:03 GMT +3

By MOSES NJAGIH

KENYA; President Uhuru Kenyatta opened the doors of State House to the media yesterday in a charm offensive to invite “partnership” and allay fears of repression.

Hosting members of the Editors Guild to a breakfast meeting, Mr Kenyatta fielded questions on the challenges facing his close to 100-day-old administration. The matters addressed included the on-going teachers strike, issues on foreign policy and insecurity in the country.

The President also made assurances over the Media Bill 2013, sections of which have been altered raising fears the constitutional protections on freedom of the press were being weakened. Media stakeholders want the Bill to keep initial provisions for self-regulation.

Uhuru courted the media’s help in pursuing the Jubilee Government’s development agenda. He assured those at the breakfast his Government will not oppress the media, instead outlining measures that would ensure strong collaboration between his administration and the Press (See separate story).

Also present at the event were Deputy President William Ruto and a number of Cabinet Secretaries. The President also took the opportunity to unveil the new head of the Presidential Press Service (PPS), former Commonwealth spokesman Manoah Esipisu, who will in also have added responsibility as the State House spokesperson.

Esipisu takes over from Isaiah Kabira, who has served as the PPS director for the ten years under retired President Kibaki’s administration, but who moves to Australia as Kenya’s High Commissioner.

 In responding to the stalemate between teachers and the Government, which has caused a strike, paralysing learning in schools, Uhuru said it was his Government’s desire to end the strike, but accused the teachers unions of being wayward in pressing for their demands. Uhuru faulted the unions for their tactics against his three-month-old Government saying failed to embrace the spirit of negotiations to end the stalemate. He said it was disappointing that despite his calling on teachers to approach the negotiating table, their union officials, held a hardline position against the talks, before eventually yielding in after three weeks.

“You have seen that since they came to the negotiating table within a day or two we managed to see some progress,” said Uhuru, adding that the Government was ready to harmonise teacher’s allowances with those of other civil servants.

Accused Knut

Uhuru accused the Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) for failing to heed to an industrial court order to call off the strike and embrace negotiations, saying their move was an impediment to ending the strike.

“What statement are they sending by failing to adhere to what the court has directed them to do?” posed Uhuru, saying it was his Government’s desire to end the strike.

Without naming names, Uhuru criticised politicians who he said were now challenging the Government to pay teachers their demands, saying it was during their tenure in Government that the contentious agreement with teachers was signed. Uhuru said his Government was wary of the rising wage bill in the country, saying about 70 per cent of the Government revenue was going into paying salaries, leaving little for development, a situation he was keen on reversing.

 The President and his Deputy told off those lobbying on the Government to drop its programme for laptop to class one pupils, saying they had opted to look at the scheme on the narrower prism.

He indicated that his government would not give in to calls to disband the laptop programme and divert the funds to payment of teachers (See separate story). The President also responded to questions on insecurity, especially in Mandera where suspected Al Shabaab insurgents have been causing terror, saying the Government was working on ways of enhancing security in the country, including by ensuring law enforcers are well equipped to deal with emerging security challenges.

Queries on insecurity

Uhuru also said that his government was determined to unite the country after the divisions that came with the heated campaigns before the general elections.

Uhuru and Ruto said Kenyans must now move on from their political positions and embark on the country’s development.

“The media has been reporting whenever we visit different parts of the country, that we have raided so and so’s turf. We no longer now have anyone’s turf and we must move away from that perception,” said Ruto. The President also responded to questions on the International Criminal Court ( ICC) cases facing him and Ruto saying that his administration had continued enjoying cordial diplomatic relations with other countries despite the challenges of the criminal cases. “I have not heard anyone saying that they are going to close their missions here because of the issue,” said Uhuru, insisting that the matter of ICC had only been raised by the African Union and never by him or Ruto. He dispelled allegations that his recent visits to Uganda had an ICC bearing, saying he and Presidents Yoweri Museveni (Uganda) and Paul Kagame (Rwanda) had only been discussing on improvement of development of infrastructure and issues of easing trade within the region.