Raila maps Kenya recovery plan

The government has launched an ambitious recovery plan that is expected to drastically transform the country’s social, political and economic landscape. 

Under the plan, the government will give priority to several key areas that will drive the country’s growth and development.  

Special focus will be given to reforms as stipulated under Agenda Four, environmental protection, food security, fight against corruption and infrastructure development. 

Others will be the upgrading of slums and other informal settlements to ensure that all Kenyans have decent housing and youth employment as envisioned in the Kazi Kwa Vijana programme.

The priorities were Wednesday outlined by Prime Minister Raila Odinga during the launch of his offices’ strategic plan, at an event in Nairobi attended by President Kibaki.

And as part of ensuring the full implementation of these priorities, the government immediately ordered the removal of 'all forms of human habitation’ from all the water catchment areas in the country 'without any further delay’.

President Kibaki directed that all forest illegally lost to private individuals and developers be reclaimed.

The forests should then be fully replanted with trees afresh, he added.

Powerful individuals in the government of retired President Moi, including members of his family, according to a list recently tabled in parliament, are said to have been beneficiaries of large tracts of forest land. 

President Kibaki said he was keen on seeing immediate results on these directives.

“I call upon Kenyans to understand that this (environmental conservation) is a matter of life and death for the nation,” said President Kibaki during the launch of the plan at the Kenyatta  International Conference Centre.

“I therefore call upon Kenyans to support our efforts to conserve the environment in every way in order to ensure that Kenya has enough rain, water and food now and in the future.”

Mr Odinga made a firm commitment to transform the public service and bring a new focus on getting things done.

“We stand together with the President in wanting a public service that works well for Kenyans and that steers us towards the aspirations set out in vision  2030,” said the PM. 

“This means planning together, sharing information, developing policies together and ensuring that plans get implemented,” he said.

To make sure that these things get done, said the PM, he would take seriously his mandate of co-ordinating and supervising the operations of government, which he described as a very huge task.

And he pledged to ensure that all the ministries that had submitted their plans, were implementing them and getting the required results.

In coming up with the plan, the PM said they realised that they were always 'reacting’ to everything at once, saying it was hard to maintain focus on the most important things that needed to be accomplished.