Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am pleased to preside over this passing out parade and to commission new officers into the Kenya Defence Forces.
I am pleased to preside over this passing out parade and to commission new officers into the Kenya Defence Forces.
I congratulate all the granduands for the hard work, perseverance and dedication which have enabled them to complete the 21 months of rigorous training at this institution.
After your commissioning today, you will be deployed to various units of our Defence Forces where you are expected to offer leadership to soldiers placed under your command. As you commence your duties, I urge you to demonstrate the same commitment and strength of character that enabled you to successfully complete your training.
Let me remind you that you are joining an institution that maintains a great tradition of service to the country before self, of discipline and courage in the line of duty and of loyalty to the Government and the people of Kenya. You are expected to uphold this proud tradition by dedicating yourselves to serve your country to the best of your ability and in accordance with the oath of allegiance you have just recited.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As the world becomes increasingly sophisticated due to rapid technological changes, defence forces all over the world are faced with new security challenges. This underscores the need to provide training that will enable officers to handle modern day security challenges and keep abreast with emerging trends in the field of security.
As the world becomes increasingly sophisticated due to rapid technological changes, defence forces all over the world are faced with new security challenges. This underscores the need to provide training that will enable officers to handle modern day security challenges and keep abreast with emerging trends in the field of security.
It is for this reason that the Government decided to transform and upgrade this institution from a Diploma awarding college to a bachelor's degree awarding academy in collaboration with Kenyatta University.
In this partnership, cadets will, beginning this year, undertake a three year degree programme leading to the award of Bachelor of Military Studies degree. The programme is benchmarked internationally and will provide cadets with a broad liberal education. This is designed to develop versatile, creative and critical thinkers who can adapt to the professional challenges that will confront them in their careers.
It is also designed to provide a foundation for continued intellectual and professional development. I am proud that the Government has been able to provide the resources for funding this worthy programme and the necessary infrastructure, both of which we opened this morning.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In addition to the primary duty of safeguarding our territorial integrity, our defence forces have won commendable recognition for their humanitarian and civic activities in various parts of the country.
In addition to the primary duty of safeguarding our territorial integrity, our defence forces have won commendable recognition for their humanitarian and civic activities in various parts of the country.
Through a wide range of interventions such as operation Dumisha Amani, Operation Good Hope, Operation Okoa Maisha, Operation Linda Mpaka and others, our defence forces have made a direct contribution to the improvement of security and the well-being of our people.
The civic activities that our Defence Forces have continued to undertake include the building of dams, drilling of boreholes, construction of schools and roads, distribution of relief food, and the treatment of people and their livestock.
I commend the Kenya Defence Forces for these activities and urge them to sustain them as they are beneficial to the well being of our country.
I also commend the defense forces for their efforts in environmental conservation. I encourage you to continue planting more trees so that our country can attain its goal of exceeding 10 percent forest cover.
Beyond humanitarian and civic activities, our Defence Forces have also continued to participate in peace keeping in various parts of the world. I wish to commend our Defence Forces for establishing an exemplary record of high standards of professionalism in peacekeeping operations throughout the world. Your exemplary performance has earned Kenya tremendous respect internationally and ensured that our diplomacy and defence forces are in high demand within the UN and African Union systems.
My Government remains fully committed to the vision of the African peace and security architecture and to the development of the East African Peace and Security force as an instrument for peace and security in our sub region.
I commend the Kenya Defence Forces for the collaborative work they have done with other regional militaries and partners to deliver this instrument.
In conclusion, I congratulate all members of the Defense forces for the remarkable service that they have continued to render to our country.
With these remarks, I once again congratulate the newly commissioned officers and wish them successful careers in the Kenya Defence Forces.
Thank you and God bless you all.
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