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

,
PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE DEFENCE FORCES OF
THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA DURING THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE
TOYOTA KENYA BUSINESS PARK AND TOYOTA KENYA ACADEMY AT
TOYOTA KENYA BUSINESS PARK, NAIROBI 16TH JULY, 2014
Your Excellencies,
Chairman Shimizu,
Distinguished Guests,
It is my pleasure to join you this morning. We gather to celerate a numer o!
milestones" the launch o! the #oyota $enya %cademy, and the #oyota
Corporation&s Corporate Social 'enture (und as )ell as the o*cial opening o!
#oyota $enya&s ne) +usiness ,ar-.
.adies and Gentlemen,
%llo) me to say a little aout )hy )e so )armly appreciate these initiati/es.
$enya has an unusually young population. 0ur in/estment in the education o!
our youth means that )e are )ell placed to trans!orm our country into a middle
income economy )ithin the time )e ha/e set !or oursel/es. +ut, )ith
increased access to education under our /arious educational programs, !ar
more o! our young people are completing their courses at schools, uni/ersities,
colleges and institutions o! /ocational training, e!ore entering gain!ul
employment or usiness.
0urs is to uild on this legacy, and to ma-e certain that not a single one o! our
talents is lost. It is in recognition o! this imperati/e, and in pursuit o! the goals
set out in 'ision 1232, that the Go/ernment has set aside /ery considerale
!unds including the 4)ezo, Youth and Women !unds !or our youth and )omen.
#he aim, as al)ays, is not simply to put money in the hands o! our young
people, ut to teach them s-ills, and then pass them the resources they need
to put those s-ills to producti/e use.
5o), #oyota $enya and its parent company, #oyota Corporation, ha/e /ery
clearly understood our needs and, amid all the excitement in and around us,
ha/e 6uietly gone aout committing sustantial resources to complement the
go/ernment&s e7orts to address these important needs.
#his )arm, sustained partnership is the !ruit o! hard )or-. .et me at this point,
commend the #oyota $enya %cademy&s collaoration )ith the #echnical
4ni/ersity o! $enya, the $enya Institute o! +usiness #raining, the 8omo $enyatta
4ni/ersity o! %griculture and #echnology, #he 5ational #raining Industrial
%uthority and the 8apan International Cooperation %gency.
I am happy to note the %cademy )ill also e partnering )ith the 4)ezo (und to
set up the 9rst collaoration to uild real hands:on capacity !or the Youth and
the Women. #his indeed, is a clear example o! the pri/ate:pulic partnership,
)hich, my go/ernment has een so !er/ently promoting.
I also note )ith satis!action that the #oyota #shushoCorporation ;##C< Social
'enture (und, )ith capital pro/ided y #oyota Corporation, )ill promote and co:
9nance income generating projects that $enyan youth ha/e chosen !or
themsel/es. It )ill complement the go/ernment&s 4)ezo and Youth (und
initiati/es, hastening employment creation and economic de/elopment.
.adies and Gentlemen,
#oyota $enya&s in/estment in the ne) +usiness ,ar- and its ongoing expansion
o! its ser/ice net)or- is not only )elcome ut )e ta-e it to e a strong
endorsement o! the con9dence that #oyota #shusho Coroporation has in $enya,
and is thus greatly appreciated.
.oo-ing around us, I can see that this de/elopment has reclaimed hitherto idle
land and con/erted it into a eehi/e o! economic acti/ity :: elo6uent testament
to the diligence, expertise and seriousness )ith )hich the enterprise is
conducted.
+esides the direct employment opportunities that came up )ithin #oyota $enya
as a result o! the +usiness ,ar-, there are many $enyan Small and =edium
Enterprises ;S=Es< that ha/e sprung up to o7er /arious ser/ices to the ,ar-.
+ut I am also e6ually pleased y the >ino commercial /ehicles located here,
ecause they are locally assemled and the odies manu!actured right here in
$enya. Indeed, this is pro/iding technology trans!er and employment
opportunities !or $enyans at the assemly plant, and !urther opportunities !or
the S=Es )ho supply /arious components and uild odies !or the uses and
truc-s.
>a/ing had the opportunity to !amiliarise mysel! )ith some o! the ?agship
projects that they are underta-ing under the =04 that the company signed
)ith the 'ision 1232 Deli/ery +oard, I must also appreciate #oyota $enya and
#oyota Corporation !or their considerale contriution to)ards realizing our
nations 'ision 1232 goals.
Similarly, I am also pleased to note that, #oyota Corporation has ta-en a old
and encouraging decision to in/est in a (ertilizer plant in $enya. In doing so,
the Corporation )ill greatly support the e7orts o! my go/ernment to ma-e
$enya !ood secure.
Chairman Shimizu, )e appreciate your choice to in/est in $enya and encourage
you and your company to continue in the same spirit. In this context, I )ish to
assure you o! the support o! oth my go/ernment and the $enyan people.
.et me also suggest to you, Chairman Shimizu, to ecome our %massador and
to encourage other multinationals, especially those !rom 8apan, to in/est in
$enya. I can assure you, they )ill not regret their decision and )e, on our part,
)ill continue to appreciate them as true !riends )ho helped us )al- that long
journey to ecome a middle:income country.
#han- you, and God less you.