President Uhuru Kenyatta has assured the Commonwealth secretariat that Kenya is willing and ready to adopt the Commonwealth development instruments in its development programmes.
The Commonwealth development instruments dubbed ‘toolkits’ cover a wide range of areas and is aimed at helping member state governments to deliver on their mandates more effectively.
President Kenyatta said the country had no reservations in adopting the instruments as long as they assist in the improvement of the wellbeing of Kenyans.
According to President Kenyatta, housing toolkit fits well with his administration’s aspiration to provide decent and cost effective housing solutions to Kenyans as envisioned in the affordable housing pillar of the Big 4 development blueprint.
Commonwealth ‘build back better housing toolkit’ seeks to promote the construction of affordable environmentally friendly houses.
“We are looking forward to leading the way in the implementation of these toolkits that support what we are doing to achieve our development aspirations”, President Kenyatta told the Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland.
Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland briefed the President on the development frameworks (toolkits) that are modelled on international best practices.
She said they would inject global best practices in the roll out of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) that the country has embarked on among other development targets.
Citing M-Pesa, Scotland commended Kenya for being a regional leader in innovation.
The Commonwealth Secretary General is in the country to launch the Intra-Commonwealth SMEs Association’s Trade Summit that kicked off in Nairobi today.
President Kenyatta and Scotland discussed how the toolkits are important in removing trade barriers, promotion of trade among commonwealth member states, and support for environmental conservation and clean energy development initiatives.
The two leaders also discussed the forthcoming Commonwealth’s 12th Women’s Affairs Ministerial Meeting (12WAMM) which Kenya will host in September this year.
The Head of State accepted the Secretary General’s request for him to champion the Commonwealth’s climate change campaign in the region.
