Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is my great pleasure to join the Starehe Boys community in celebrating this year's Founders' day. This is a special occasion when we celebrate the founding of this institution.

Fifty one years ago the late Geoffrey William Griffin, the late Geofrey Geturo and Joseph Gikubu who is currently serving as Founder Director, set out on an extraordinary journey. These three gentlemen came together to address the plight of many helpless children who had been rendered destitute by the 1952 Mau Mau uprising. Their commitment to provide shelter and education to the destitute children was what gave birth to this great institution. The remarkable growth and contribution of this institution is an ideal example of how selfless hard work can transform the lives of our people and even our society as a whole. I challenge Kenyans to emulate these three great heroes of our country who founded this school.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In the spirit of the founders of Starehe Boys Centre, my Government remains committed to providing support to poor and disadvantaged students. The Government provides this support through the Free Primary Education and Free Tuition Secondary Education programmes; the provision of bursaries to bright but needy students and targeted bursaries to students in arid and semi arid areas.

Indeed, my Government has continued to invest heavily in education. This financial year, for example, the education spend constitutes about 30 per cent of the national budget. This translates to about 7 per cent of the country's GDP and is the largest percentage in Africa. We are also committed to the development of school infrastructure and provision of teaching and learning materials as well as laboratory and science equipment to schools.

Since 2003, the Government has disbursed over 4.7 billion Shillings in constituency bursaries. However, to effectively address the increasing need for education opportunities, more resources are required. To this end, I call upon the private sector to partner with the Government in financing this worthwhile course.

I note with satisfaction that Starehe Boys Centre and School has made tremendous strides in supporting needy students. This school continues to offer free education to at least 70 per cent of its students while the rest pay fees at subsidized rates. This is highly commendable.

I also thank our development partners who have all along supported the Government efforts in the provision of education. The Free Primary Education and Free Tuition Secondary Education programmes demand wider resource mobilization by all stakeholders including communities, central and local government, civil society, private sector and development partners.

In addition to the need for more resources, I am aware that staffing levels in our schools continues to be a big challenge to the education sector. My Government remains committed to the deployment of adequate teachers in all public schools. I direct the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Finance to institute measures to address this challenge so as to ensure that the gains so far achieved in the Education sector are not compromised.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

There is no doubt that Starehe Boys centre and School continues to be a centre of excellence and serves as a role model to many institutions of learning. I am particularly encouraged that out of the 216 boys who sat for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examination, 190 will gain admission to public universities. I am happy to learn that eleven of them have so far gained full scholarships in world class universities like Harvard, Princeton, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and New York University. As we create Centres of Excellence under the Economic Stimulus programme, I appeal to the beneficiaries to borrow a leaf from Starehe Boys in order to develop Centres that truly stand out.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Our society continues to face immense challenges including drug and substance abuse, child abuse and violence that threaten its very fabric. These challenges unfortunately affect our youth who are a critical pillar of our society. I urge Kenyans to join hands with the Government in stamping out these vices. I also urge students all over the country to avoid alcohol, drug and substance abuse as well as promiscuity and other such activities that will compromise their education. I remind students countrywide that they have a duty to protect themselves if they are to fully benefit from the investments we are making in their education.

Before I conclude my remarks I wish to reaffirm that we are on the path of major reforms that will forever change the management of our nation's affairs. Today we stand at the dawn of a new constitutional dispensation. The new proposed constitution is about the future prospects for young people like you. This is why I fully support the proposed constitution. It is a constitution that offers much hope for change, shared prosperity, social justice and deepened democracy. It prepares current and future generations for the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. I trust that Kenyans will give the proposed constitution the necessary support, by turning out in large numbers to vote for it during the August 4th referendum.

Finally, I wish to once again register my appreciation to all those who have supported Starehe Boys Centre in various ways. I urge you all to continue with the same spirit. Your contribution continues to transform the lives of many young people and is an enduring contribution to the development of our country.

Thank You and God bless you all.