Golden Spear Initiative
Kenya joined six other countries from the region in signing a Memorandum of Association that requires them to formulate legal, policy and management framework to support a joint approach to regional disaster management.
The signing, under the Golden Spear Initiative, a United States government-sponsored approach that brings together eleven countries from the Great Lakes region, and the Horn of Africa, binds the signatories to support one another in the event of natural or man-made calamities.
Through the initiative the countries will develop mechanisms of preparedness, detection, warning and response to disasters in line with the United Nations, African union and other treaties geared towards creating a better environment for humanity.
The Minister of State in charge of Special Programs Mr. Njenga Karume signed the documents on behalf of the Government during the occasion witnessed by Vice President Moody Awori who represented President Mwai Kibaki and the US ambassador to Kenya Mr. William Bellamy.
Other signatories included Egypt, Seychelles, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda while Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea and Ethiopia will ratify it later.
The occasion also marked the official opening of Regional Disaster Management Centre of Excellence headquarters at Kileleshwa, Nairobi.
In his speech read by Mr. Awori, President Mwai Kibaki welcomed the establishment of the Regional Centre in the country and assured of the Government’s commitment towards realization of total peace in the region.
President Kibaki expressed optimism that the system would be founded on regional cooperation in accordance with the principle of open, free and unrestricted exchange of data and information.
“As a region, it is incumbent upon us to inject more efforts and resources to make the initiative an ideal vehicle to answer the concerns that have plagued the region over the years. Disasters will always happen, and it is therefore necessary to have an effective mechanism to respond to our fears and cries when they do occur,” the Head of State added.
The Head of State underscored the importance of concerted efforts by National, Regional and international bodies to create and develop mechanism for preparedness, response and recovery.
He noted that disaster preparedness and management mechanism would give the region the necessary safety net and reassurance for the growth of regional economies.
President Kibaki regretted that the African continent has experienced a lot of disasters both natural and man-made, ranging from droughts, floods, diseases, terrorism and civil strife. He said such phenomena have undergone transformation to strange occurrences such as El Nino, La Nina, Tsunami and HIV/Aids.
The President expressed appreciation to the international community, especially the developed world for their timely response to assist and reduce human suffering.
The Head of State observed that series of terrorist calamities that hit America, Kenya, Tanzania and recently Britain and Egypt overstretched national capabilities to handle the situations, adding that effective intervention capacities would require pooling of resources together.
“No government can stand alone in the event of a disaster and, therefore, there is need to come together as a community and a family. We need to be prepared all the times and the assurance from within the community makes it possible to pull resources when a calamity strikes,” the President stressed.
President Kibaki thanked the United Nations, African Union for their input in the establishment of the regional mechanism.
He also commended the participation and contribution made by individual countries including the United States of America and various formations for making the initiative a reality.
The Commander, Central Command of the US Army General John Abizaid said the initiative will strengthen the cooperation between the US and African states with a view to promoting trust and economic prosperity among them.
The function was also attended by the Director for Strategy, Policy and Assessments, in the. European command, US Army, Major General Jonathan Gration, Kenya’s Deputy Chief of General Staff, General Julius Karangi Ministers from the member countries and Diplomatic corps.
