UN Heads in Kenya laud strong development partnership during meeting with President Kibaki

NAIROBI, Kenya, April 11, 2012/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- The United Nations Heads of Agencies in Kenya met with the President of Kenya, H.E. Mwai Kibaki, at his Harambee House office to review progress made since the last meeting on 29 March 2011, and to reiterate their commitment to further strengthen the existing development partnership between the Government of Kenya and the United Nations.

Led by the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Kenya, Mr. Aeneas C. Chuma, the delegation expressed appreciation for the conducive environment the UN system in Kenya has been accorded by the Government of Kenya to fulfill its primary mandate of building the capacities of public institutions and communities to attain progressive human development.

In 2011, the country experienced the worst drought in 60 years. The UN system in Kenya, in partnership with the Government of Kenya, was able to provide relief to the affected arid and semi-arid regions in Kenya. These interventions, alongside others, were able to save lives and restore livelihoods, hence mitigating the impact of the drought. Continuous provision of health and educational facilities to the affected areas was also up scaled to handle increased populations in the camps. Now the focus will be on greater investment in early warning and response mechanisms to ensure disaster preparedness at the national and county levels.

The United Nations acknowledged the Government of Kenya for key achievements in the sustained and broad-based growth in the economy, investments in infrastructure and promulgation of a new and rights-based constitution. The progressive reforms in key institutions such as the judiciary and related institutions have substantially built confidence amongst the citizenry.

Mr. Chuma emphasized the commitment of the United Nations to work with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) and other actors to ensure a peaceful and credible outcome in the upcoming general election.

Many lessons were drawn from the Post Election Violence crisis. The United Nations Country Team has invested in early warning and response systems at the national and county levels to ensure ethno-political tensions are quelled in the lead-up to, during and after the general election. The country's social, economic and political fabric is dependent on the mature and credible transition, similar to what was witnessed during the 2010 referendum. This is achievable and should be promoted.

The United Nations Country Team, through the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), will continue to ensure the social, economic and political pillars as spelt out in Vision 2030 are attained.