Clinton: Root out tribalism and corruption to develop

Former US President Bill Clinton has called on leaders of African countries to abandon tribal interests and root out corruption if they want to see their countries prosper economically.

The 41st President of the United States commended the continent for the fast economic growth being witnessed but said the speed can be accelerated.
“Most African countries can grow faster if they get more universal partners and work towards attracting more investors,” he said.

“Singapore, which was 51 years ago on the same economic level with most African states, achieved much success by including everybody in government and getting rid of corruption. Tribal interests will only tear a country apart and leaders should start by being honest to their people,” he said.

The former president is on a three-day tour of the country to visit projects funded by his Clinton Global Foundation. He was speaking at a question and answer session at the closing ceremony of the sixth Annual Wings to Fly Education and Leadership Congress where he was the chief guest.

Students whose high school education is sponsored by the foundation run by Equity Bank got an opportunity to ask Mr Clinton and his daughter Chelsea questions through the banks CEO Dr James Mwangi at the end of the congress. The annual event has been running at the Safaricom Sports Centre in Kasarani, Nairobi, since Monday.

Mr Clinton acknowledged the steps made by the country in claiming its place on the global scene millions of years after the first human being walked in Kenya.
“Where you are all sitting today is not very far away from where the very fast human being rose up 3.4 million years ago in the savannah,” he said.

“The greatest drama of this new century is playing where humanity began. What we have in common are our interesting differences,” he told the over 10,000 students drawn from various parts of the country.

STORIES OF BENEFICIARIES

Moved by the stories of the beneficiaries, he shared the difficulties he encountered growing up.
“When I was born, my mother was a widow, my father having been killed three months before I was born in an accident. “I grew up in the second poorest state in the US, and no one in our entire family tree had ever gone to college. The only way we survived was by telling stories, but that did not stop me,” he recalled.

During the event that was also attended by the president of the Master Card Foundation Reeta Roy, Equity bank announced that it will educate 20,000 more students within the next five years.
Currently 10,337 bright but needy students are being sponsored by the bank through high school.

The bank’s CEO acknowledged the assistance offered by the Clinton Foundation, which in addition to financial donations has assisted it to get donations from the US and UK governments plus the German development bank totalling to $92 million (Sh8.3 billion).

“All of these children exemplify resilience and a desire to make a difference and give back to community later in life. With all our differences, Kenya is a county united by education,” Mr Mwangi said.

Mr Clinton later visited a medical camp organised by the Starkey Foundation in Kilimani where 150 people received hearing aids. The former president and his daughter took part in the camp and fitted the aids for a number of patients.

Today Mr Clinton will visit Samburu National Reserve to see the initiatives carried out by the Save the Elephants Research Centre which has fitted GPS collars on elephants to monitor their movement in order to combat poaching.

He leaves the country tomorrow for Liberia, then heads to Morocco before concluding his African tour.