SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY HON. MWAI KIBAKI, C.G.H., M.P., PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES OF THE REPUBLIC OF KEYA DURING THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE A.S.K MOMBASA INTERNATIONAL SHOW AT THE MOMBASA SHOWGROUND ON 31ST AUGUST, 2006

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am pleased to once again preside over the official opening of this year's Mombasa International Show. This is an important event, which presents farmers, manufacturers and traders with an opportunity to familiarize themselves with better farming methods as well as processing and marketing of agricultural produce.

I am pleased to note that the theme of this year's show is 'Empowering people through growth in Agri-business'. This is an important theme which accords appropriate emphasis to agricultural productivity, value addition and marketing of farm produce. I urge our farmers to fully embrace the spirit of this theme by emphasizing on agricultural processing, which adds value to farm produce, creates more employment opportunities and increases farmers' earnings. These are the benefits of engaging in agriculture as a business, rather than as a subsistence activity.

The opening of this Show is taking place at a time when I am undertaking the second leg of my working tour of the Coast Province. During my last visit two weeks ago, and since my arrival on Tuesday, I have taken the opportunity to consult widely with leaders and the public on the development challenges facing wananchi in this province. It is clear to me that the issue of land ownership has over the years been the biggest impediment to development in this province. This is the reason why during my Madaraka Day address to the nation this year, I ordered the Ministry of Lands and Settlement to embark on a crash programme to comprehensively deal with the land issue.

The issuance of over 35,000 title deeds in various parts of this province alone is part of the process of fulfilling the pledge I made to the people of Coast province. I would like to reiterate once again that my government will deal decisively with the problem of absentee landlords in this region. I have chosen to prioritize this issue because it is denying our people access to land, which is the most vital factor of production in our agricultural-based economy. As we step-up issuance of Title Deeds, I also expect farmers in this region to invest more resources in expanding agricultural production.

Let me say very candidly that I am not satisfied that we are doing enough. I believe that this region could produce enough to feed the people of this area and market the surplus to the more arid parts of our country. The Ministry of Agriculture should encourage farmers to use approved seeds so as to increase agricultural productivity. On our part as government, we have embarked on a programme to revive and rehabilitate agricultural processing institutions that were vital in this region. For example, we have now re-opened the K.C.C. Miritini Processing Plant.

We have also initiated modalities for the rehabilitation of Mariakani Milk Scheme. Furthermore, we will soon be announcing the revival of Kibarani K.M.C. Slaughter House. I am keen to see that the slaughterhouse is rehabilitated this financial year so that pastoral communities and other livestock producers can have a ready outlet for their beef animals.
The rehabilitation of these facilities is expected to play a significant role in empowering farmers in this region and creating more employment opportunities.

During the opening of the Mombasa Show last year, I mentioned that my Government is committed to transforming Mombasa into a vibrant gateway to Eastern Africa and the wider COMESA region. In this regard, we have made good progress towards upgrading the Mombasa-Busia highway, also known as the Northern Corridor to international standards.
A contractor is already on site to complete the 50 kilometre Mritini-Maji Ya Chumvi section of the road. The Northern Corridor project will open up movement of goods and persons between Mombasa, and the rest of the country and beyond. It will also strengthen domestic and regional trade with our neighbours of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo.

In addition to the international trunk roads, we have also completed several other road projects in this region. For example, the Garsen-Lamu road, which connects Tana River and Lamu Districts was completed in November 2005. We will soon be announcing commencement of the contract for the resurfacing and rehabilitation of the Mombasa-Malindi road. Indeed, this financial year we have allocated 2.3 billion shillings for construction, rehabilitation and maintenance of roads in this province. I call upon the Ministry of Roads and Public Works to ensure that these projects are completed without delay.

With regard to the Port of Mombasa, plans are underway for the extension of the container terminal. Other investments in the transport and communications sector in this region include, upgrading and modernizing of the Moi International Airport and the Malindi Airport.

With respect to the energy sector, there are several projects located in this province which are scheduled for this year. These projects include the expansion of the Oil Pipeline at a cost of 3 billion shillings, Rabai Gas Turbine at a cost of 3.6 billion shillings, Kipevu power generation at 2.8 billion shillings, and construction of the Liquid Petroleum Gas plant also at Kipevu at a cost of 1.5 billion shillings. Although these projects will serve the whole country, their implementation will generate employment opportunities for the local communities, while also ensuring that the local energy requirements are fully met. Furthermore, we have allocated 185 million shillings for rural electrification.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Another important sector in this province is tourism. I am pleased that the sector has recorded strong growth over the last three years. Last year alone, the earnings from tourism rose by 25 percent. This growth is the result of the conducive environment provided by the Government, as well as aggressive marketing. While the country has in the past been popular for its holiday beaches and wildlife safaris, my Government is aggressively marketing the country as a conference, sports, business, filming and cultural tourism destination.

This year's performance in tourism is expected to improve given the good performance of conference and sporting tourism. I am glad that Mombasa will next year play host to the 35th World Cross-Country Championship. The government will give maximum support to this event. So far the Government has released 200 million shillings from the Ministry of Roads and Public Works, and 312 million shillings from the Ministry of Local Government for rehabilitation of roads in Mombasa Municipality, while another 93 million shillings has been set aside for beautification of the city. I wish to appeal to all institutions charged with organizing the championship to ensure that the event is a success. The improvements we are undertaking will not only benefit the residents of Mombasa, but also the thousands of visitors who come to this region every year. As tourism continues to grow, I challenge the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife to focus on attracting new investments into the industry particularly hotels, lodges and amusement parks.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am aware that water supply remains a major challenge in this region especially in the interior areas. This year, my Government has allocated 840 million shillings for various water projects and programmes in this province. We are also in the process of negotiating with development partners for a credit line of about 6 billion shillings for the Sabaki and Miritini water supply systems. Our aim is to ensure that water supply in the coast region is adequate to meet the needs of the residents.

Turning to crop production, coconuts and cashew nuts are the main cash crops in this province. I note that over the last 3 years production of these crops has increased. Coconuts and cashew nuts earned farmers over 800 million shillings last year. We expect earnings to increase to over 1.2 billion shillings this year. The ministry of Agriculture must now move with speed to finalize and implement an oil crops policy that will guide production and marketing of these crops.

With respect to cotton production, the Government has started the process of reviving the cotton industry by allocating a cotton development grant of 250 million shillings in the last financial year. The Government has allocated a similar amount this financial year. I call upon farmers to get back to cotton farming and benefit from these investments as well as the improved extension services and provision of quality seed.

During my recent tour of this province, I also had the opportunity to visit the Bura Irrigation project. Tana River District once produced nearly 40 percent of the country's cotton. We have begun the process of reviving the Bura Irrigation project as well as the Hola Irrigation Scheme. Besides cotton, this region also has enormous potential for sugar production. My Government is negotiating with potential investors with a view to re-establishing Ramisi Sugar Factory in order to revive sugar cane production in the region.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Livestock and fisheries play a key role in this Province and in our national economy. Last year, farmers in this Province earned 1.9 billion shillings from the sale of livestock and livestock products. With respect to fisheries, this province has a production potential estimated at 175,000 million metric tonnes per year. However, this potential is largely unexploited. In order to enable our people to benefit from the vast existing potential in the Exclusive Economic Zone, my Government has initiated arrangements to install facilities for monitoring, control and surveillance of the Exclusive Economic Zone. The installation of these facilities will enable us to eliminate over-fishing by unlicensed foreign vessels.

In conclusion, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to point out that over the last three years, we have witnessed steady economic growth that rose to 5.8 percent last year. I urge Kenyans to maintain the spirit of hard work, so that we can build a prosperous nation. In this respect, leaders should concentrate on development activities which will bring real benefits to the people. I also advise wananchi, particularly the youth, to judge leaders by their actions in order to avoid being misled.

With these remarks, it is now my great pleasure to declare the 2006 Mombasa International Show officially open.

Thank You and God bless Kenya.