REMARKS BY MS. ANNE WAIGURU, OGW, CABINET SECRETARY FOR DEVOLUTION AND PLANNING, AT THE LAUNCH OF THE UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE FRAMEWORK FOR KENYA 2014 2018, ON 26TH MARCH, 2014, IN STATE HOUSE NAIROBI.Your Excellency, President of the Republic of Kenya

Your Excellency, Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya

Cabinet Secretaries present

The UN Resident Coordinator, Ms. Nardos Bekele-ThomasPrincipal Secretaries presentExcellencies the Ambassadors

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

I am most grateful to have been accorded this opportunity to make some remarks on the alignment of the document we are launching today the UN Development Assistance Framework for Kenya and the Second Medium Term Plan of Kenya Vision 2030. I would like at the outset to state that the relationship between the Ministry of Devolution and Planning and United Nations specialized agencies in Nairobi, represented by the UN Resident Coordinator, have been excellent. At a very early stage when the UN agencies in Nairobi were thinking about formulating the document we are launching today, they consulted with my staff and planners in the government at large on the best ways to harmonize the objectives of the UN family of institutions in Kenya with those of Kenya Vision 2030 and our Constitution.

The UN Resident Coordinator, and heads of the UN agencies working in Kenya indicated to us that they would wait for H.E. the President to launch the Second MTP of Vision 2030 and then align their programmes over the next five years to the priorities of the people and Government of Kenya as enshrined in Kenyas Vision 2030 and the Constitution. Your Excellency, you launched the second MTP of Vision 2030 on 3rd October, 2013, and consultations on how to integrate the UNDAF to MTP II began between my Ministry and the UN, with the UNDP Kenya Office playing the coordinating role. Earlier this year, the UN institutions working in Kenya and representatives of the Kenya government held a two-day workshop, here in Nairobi, on the harmonization of the UNDAFs objectives with those of the Kenya government. The outcome, I am pleased to report, was a refinement of this UNDAF so that the UN agencies in Nairobi delivering as one would maximize their support to the government and people of Kenya in their efforts to create a more prosperous, equitable and just society for all Kenyans.

Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen,

In planning for the future of our country, my Ministry has always considered the opinions and objectives of Kenyans nationwide as our guiding light. For that reason, we held public and widely inclusive consultative forums with the people of Kenya, in all 47 counties, prior to drafting the Second Medium Term Plan of Kenya Vision 2030. In a very profound way, the 2nd MTP of Kenya Vision 2030 reflects the voices of Kenyans and the face of Kenyans. Openness and public consultations in policy-making are required of all of us by the Constitution of Kenya. I am therefore pleased to note that in preparation of this UNDAF, the UN agencies operating in Kenya also conformed to our national practice of an inclusive consultative process in the formulation of public policy. This is obviously something we would like to see more of in our relationships with all of our international development partners.

Your Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me now turn to the alignment that resulted from our consultative process with the UN family, and what achieved. Briefly, the UNDAF working on the principle of Delivering as One contains four term strategic results, the details of which we have heard from the UN Resident Coordinator. The result areas are:

(i) Transformational governance;

(ii) Human capital development;

(iii) Inclusive and sustainable economic growth; and

(iv) Environmental sustainability, land management and human security.

Your Excellency,

We are pleased to see the UNDAF adopt the theme of transformational governance as a key result area because transformation of the Kenyan society has been a key objective of the Jubilee Government, as stressed by our leaders under the basic principles of Umoja (unity), Uwazi (openness) and Uchumi (rapid economic growth). Our national planning framework targets transformative governance as well. Under the political pillar of Vision 2030 MTP II we have laid emphasis on transforming our public service for more efficient service delivery, a culture of adherence to the rule of law, making devolution work and more efficient use of our public resources.

We are also pleased to see the emphasis that Human Capital has received under the second strategic result of the UNDAF. I say that because it conforms to objectives of the social pillar under the Second MTP. We will work together with our UN development partners to provide the best education to Kenyans who will be joining our labour market in the first half of the 21st Century. We are also aware of the challenges we face in the health sector despite recording positive gains in the past decade. We count among these challenges, high rates of maternal deaths, and the need to rein in the spread of HIV-AIDs, TB and malaria. I am pleased to observe a well- structured cooperation framework between the government of Kenya and the relevant UN agencies like the WHO, and UNAIDS, among others.

Your Excellency,

Raising our GDP growth rate to double digits has been a key planning objective of the Ministry. We have listed the steps we intend to adopt under MTP II to reach that target. I am pleased to note the cooperation we can expect under UNDAF in providing Kenya with a productive business environment, raising productivity in agriculture and manufacturing, adopting new technologies and, most important of all, creating quality jobs on a large scale for our youth. All these are strategic objectives under MTP II.

Under Strategic Result 4, the UNDAF will focus resources and technical assistance to environmental sustainability, land management and human security. The importance of sustainable growth, halting environmental degradation and conserving our water towers is stressed in the MTP II and we again look forward to productive cooperation between us and the UN agencies represented here. Together, we will succeed.

Your Excellency, In Kenya we plan for the people. GDP growth, more water and better sanitation, and improved land use matter to us only to the extent that they improve the lives of our people in clear and visible ways. That is the guiding principle of planning in my Ministry. We especially care about the needs of our youth because we are a predominantly young population. According to our 2009 census, 72% of Kenyans are under 35 years old. Of these 42% are under 15 years of age. We in the Ministry of Devolution and Planning always plan with these figures in mind, of real Kenyans who are young and need education, health care, jobs, adequate housing, water and sanitation. The UNDAF has shown that we can cooperate in realizing these objectives. We are proud to be associated with the UNDAF and look forward very much to working together with the UN.

Your Excellency,In conclusion, let me mention a critical issue that the UN will need to take into consideration going forward. In the 2009-2013 UNDAF period, the UN spent approximately USD 3Billion, over 50% of this was used in the support of refugees, and other humanitarian assistance. Going forward, there is recognition within government, that to generate sustainable development, we need to invest in sectors that will deliver economic growth, while supporting the marginalized and vulnerable groups to develop resilience and engage in the economy. We will therefore urge the UN to ensure that resource allocation is aligned and reflects this strategic focus of the government.

Thank you.It is now my humble pleasure to invite His Excellency the Deputy President to make his remarks.PAGE 12