SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY HON. UHURU MUIGAI KENYATTA C.G.H.

, PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE DEFENCE FORCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA DURING THE OPENING OF THE INDEPENDENT PENTECOSTAL CHURCH OF AFRICA (AIPCA) WOMEN COUNCIL CONFERENCE AT THE PROPOSED AIPCA THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE GROUNDS AT KAMULU, NAIROBI ON 14TH AUGUST 2013 From the time of Moses, the Church has historically played an important role in the quest for a just and fair society. The Church has often led the way in showing what the spirit of sacrifice and giving is all about. In our particular case, the Church has doubled as the conscience of our people as well as a guarantor of the spirit of a God-fearing people. I am delighted to be here, at the African Independent Pentecostal Church of Africa, and particularly to preside over the Women Council Conference. This Church has never had the fear of Africanising divine worship. But it also has not parted from the ideals of a Christian worship. Ladies and Gentlemen, My government, as you are aware, is deeply committed to empowering women and girls. It is committed to giving them the same opportunities as men and boys have had for ages. It is committed to ensuring that we grow a society in which all human beings are truly equal and in this particular case, regardless of their gender or religion. We are committed to the growth of micro-finance institutions, the majority of whose customers are women. We continue to engage with women leaders and women groups and other stakeholders on how to ensure these services reach the majority of our people, because a true democratic society is manifest in both the economic power of its women, and how society in general treats women. Much is often said of my governments laptop project. We see it as a tool that will prepare our young people for the challenges of the years ahead. We see it as helping us focus on delivering the energy infrastructure and the innovation required to be competitive. But we also see it as a tool of lifting everyone, including girls, to a level of competitiveness that will make them marketable in a globalized world. To match that, of course, is our commitment to promote education for girls and increase the number of boarding school places for them. My team at the education ministry is working on this agenda because, for us, jeopardizing girl education would harm the country. Ladies and Gentlemen, Finally, let me talk about empowerment of women. You are aware that my government has committed to implementing the one-third rule in appointments to government and parastatals. In some cases, we have done it outright and in some cases progress is slow. But we intend to deliver on these things as outlined in our manifesto.

We want women at the heart of decision-making. We want women empowered and educated because, as a country of young people a majority of whom are women, we only secure our future by ensuring that women issues are addressed. With these few remarks, it is my pleasure to declare this conference officially open. Thank you and God bless you.