SAKAJA JOHNSON - 'iBelieve Speech'. 20th May 2012. TNA Launch.

Today, a statement of faith, has gone out from this place. Its a declaration thats being heard by Kenyans in every town and market centre and village. Its an accou nt that is being broadcast by television and radio stations to millions of citiz ens across this land. And Today, its our hope that this message of faith, will ta ke root in the hearts of Kenyans everywhere: that we all will pull out the weeds of skepticism and push aside any stumbling blocks of disillusion to make room f or this faith. Because despite every challenge we have faced as a nation, against every odd tha t has taunted our hope, in spite of every old enemy that has reared its head to o ppose us We can and We will make it to that better Kenya we have so long yearned for. Fellow Kenyans, as I stand before you today, I am reminded that it is our streng th; and resilience that have carried us this far. And that this resilience; a re silience deeply rooted in our love for this country and embedded in our unanimou s hope for better lives is what will move us forward. I am also reminded that despite the fact that our nations citizens have a great diversity of needs, they have few differences in their collective ambitions and minimal discrepancies in their vision for this country. I am reminded that ultimate ly there is, and always will be a common thread that holds together the tapestry of our hopes and THAT, that is why we, The National Alliance, a party comprised of Kenyans from all backgrounds have committed ourselves to one cause. We have determined that we will stand with Kenyans. We will stand; with the woman in the countryside who toils EVERYday in hopes of securing a better tomorrow for her children. And we will stand with her children - who deserve a government that protects their present and guarantees - their f uture. Who deserve to live in a country where they can believe that anything is possible. We will stand with the hardworking men of Kenya who labour tirelessly to ensure that they can put food on the family table. And We will stand with the youth. The trustees of our nations posterity. The bea cons of hope who deserve to be defined by something more than an over-quoted sta tistic. We will remind them; we will remind ourselves- that when this country wa s liberated from colonial evils; when we ventured beyond that tyranny into the w orld of freedom and self-governance it was young Kenyans, the Mboyas and the Ngeis , the young Kibakis and the Mungais- that pioneered in leadership and set a prece dent for us to follow. Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen we will stand. Strong. Proud. And most of allundivided. Indeed our unity will be a part of our marching anthem. We will not allow ourselv es to be torn apart by tribal tensions because we have seen a truly beautiful re ality in Kenya. We have seen that the Kalenjin dreams in much the same way as th e Luhya does. We have seen that the goals of the Kikuyu are in no way opposed to the hopes of the Luo. We know that those in Eastern; Western; Central; North Ea stern; Coast; Nyanza and Rift-Valley will feel a similar stab of pain when a fam ily member dies, will suffer the same hunger when the rains fail and food prices rise; will rejoice with equal passion when a child is born; and will stand with equal pride when that child succeeds. We know that Kenyans all celebrate when kor ir and cherop win the gold at the Boston marathon and cheer when Mariga scores a goal for the Stars, or when Collins injera makes a try for the sevens team. Fello w Kenyans, we know this to be true: the forces that hold us together are by far, greater than those that have ever desired to tear us apart. So, today, Ladies and Gentlemen, we are rising up to take our place alongside th ose who believe. Because we too, believe. We believe that no matter where we come from within this great country; regardle ss of what station in life we occupy- every Kenyan, invariably, wants the same t hing to go about our lives peacefully, and to have a fair chance of making somet

hing of ourselves. And we believe that every Kenyan deserves to have that chance . We believe that all Kenyans deserve to receive quality treatment when they fall sick. That they shouldnt have to struggle to raise funds to fly to South Africa o r India or any other place. That Kenyans deserve to have access to quality healt h care and all Kenyans deserve to be accorded the same amount of respect, and di gnity. WE BELIEVE that all Kenyan children deserve to have access to quality education - no matter where they live. That the children of my brother Mohammed Kassim fro m Lamu county should not have to travel more than 600KM to get a good education in Nairobi but that his children; my children and your children should be able t o access quality education wherever they are. We believe we have come into an era where no Kenyan, living on Kenyan soil shoul d ever have to go hungry. We know, that we can more than triple our food product ion through irrigation, by ensuring that water is available for agriculture and that farmers can access the information and technology; affordable seeds; ferti lizers and farm inputs that are necessary to ensure food security in our land. We believe that Kenyans deserve to live in a country where they feel that the go vernment works with and for them. We believe that every citizen should be able to make a stable career out of thei r God given skills and abilities. That the Marigas and Olieches should be more o f the rule than the exception. That the Rudishas and the Jelimos should be just two among thousands of peers. We believe that young Kenyans should be able to expl ore their diverse talents and forge successful careers in the Arts. That our fil m-makers can reach and surpass the standards of Nolly; Bolly and even Hollywood. That our music can contribute to the melodic mosaic of the world. That our poet ry; floetry and fashion can become formidable fields. Because our young people A RE talented. You guys are talented- and we say to our musicians, and producers; our poets, our artistes, our actors and actresses and designers we salute you; we appreciate you and we believe in you. Ladies and gentlemen, indeed we do believe. We believe that Pamoja tunaweza. Tha t with the right government - the TNA government every great vision will become a reality. That is ts even ve , we olitics our faith, and THAT is the faith we are asking you to carry in your hear as you return to your homes. Because once we believe ; once we ALL belie will finally be able to propel ourselves away from the poisons of past p and into the promise of our potential.

So today we make this is pledge to our people. We will ensure that TNA - present s to you, visionary leaders at the ballot. Leaders who are committed. Leaders wh o are strong. Leaders who are able. Leaders who care. But we also want to make a c ommitment to those aspiring for those positions through this party. We want to a ssure you that there will be no direct nominations for elective positions. That we will not have a system that disadvantages those who do not have millions of s hillings in their account- but who have millions of ideas in their minds. And we want you to know, that we will have a level playing field. That we, the nationa l officials of this party will not vie for any elective posts, in this election because we want to be neutral arbiters in this process. Rest assured that we wil l conduct our nominations in a free, fair and transparent way. Because Ladies and Gentlemen TNA wants to do more than just win an election, we want to transform o ur country. Our party will not be satisfied with being the strongest political p arty in Kenya, which I believe we WILL be, but we will be satisfied when we have redefined how politics is done in this country. When it is no longer about the politicians and the parties but when the focus is finally where it should be; on the people.

And we believe that we will do it From this day, from this time and place, let it be known that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Kenyans. A generation born in the last half centu ry, disciplined by harsh economic times, refined by 8-4-4, proud of their cultur al heritage - and unwilling to helplessly sit back and watch their destiny pass them by. Let every Kenyan know, that we shall pay the price, bear the burden and meet any hardships that stand between us and a peaceful, prosperous Kenya. Ladies and Gentlemen the movement towards that Kenya has begun. There is no seco nd-guessing, no idling and no turning back. We are here because we know that tha t together we can and together WE WILL. So I ask you now, ladies and gentlemen, br others and sisters, fellow Kenyans: for the good of all of us; for the love of t his great nation and for the family called Kenya, to join us in this journey, in The National Alliance as we March towards the Kenya we believe in and the Kenya we deserve. Ladies and Gentlemen- I ask you- to BELIEVE. Thank you and God bless you all.