Fellow Kenyans,

Today marks the second Anniversary since the signing of the National Accord on the 28th February 2008. This day will forever remain an important turning point in our country's history. On this occasion, we would like to thank God for His mercies and the people of Kenya for their support, resilience and determination to co-exist peacefully.

As the two signatories of the National Accord, we pledge to the people of Kenya that we will do everything within our powers to safeguard peace in this country. We recognize that coalition governments, the world over, by their own nature, present many challenges. However, despite the differences of opinion that are likely to arise from time to time, the Grand Coalition is fully committed to serving Kenyans and improving their living conditions as promised.

The Government has put in place a broad national reform agenda. The expected reforms are intended to entrench a culture of democracy, rule of law and development in our country.

Most importantly, we are pleased to note that the journey towards a new constitution is firmly on course. In this regard, we call upon Parliament to seriously deliberate on the Draft Constitution and avail to this country a document which will be supported by a vast majority of Kenyans during the forthcoming referendum.

We wish to dedicate the 28th of February as a day of National Unity and Thanksgiving. We ask Kenyans to give thanks to God Almighty for our beloved country this Friday, Saturday and Sunday in their respective places of worship.

Thank You and God Bless You,

H.E. Hon. Mwai Kibaki, President

Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga, Prime Minister

NAIROBI - Made effective January 1, 2010, the United Nation's Nairobi hub, has been upgraded from C status to B status by the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) elevating the duty station's ranking from average to good. The upgrade was based on an assessment of overall quality of life including safety and security, health care, education and housing among others for UN employees and their families. The UN's Nairobi duty station is home to UN-Habitat and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP).

"The Government of Kenya welcomes the recent decision of the United Nations and the International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) to elevate Nairobi's duty station status to a level B. This is a reflection of the significant developments being made under the Vision 2030 plan and the government remains fully committed to continuing to improve the living conditions of everyone who lives and works in Kenya," said Kenya Ambassador H.E. Zachary Muburi-Muita, permanent representative of Kenya to the United Nations.

The ICSC is an independent expert body established by the United Nations General Assembly on December 19, 1974, mandated to regulate and coordinate the conditions of service of staff in the United Nations common system, while promoting and maintaining high standards in the international civil service. The classifications range from "A" to "E" with "A" being the lowest level of hardship.

For more information or to interview Ambassador Muita, please contact Lisa Mendelson at lmendelson@clsdc.com or 202-777-3561.

NAIROBI - This week, the United States government pledged an additional $2.7 billion to the Republic of Kenya to help fight HIV infection throughout the country under the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The commitment now makes Kenya the largest partner of this program in the world. To date, under this plan, Kenya has received $1.35 billion since 2004. Kenya has made progress in many areas including reducing AIDS-related deaths by 29 percent, assisting over 3.5 million children and pregnant women through counseling and testing, and treating over 300,000 people infected with HIV since September 30, 2008.

"The government of Kenya appreciates the United States' continuous support in the fight against this pandemic. The drop in AIDS-related deaths in Kenya proves the effectiveness of programs like these. This aid will continue to support the million-plus Kenyans who struggle with HIV/AIDS everyday and the thousands of healthcare workers who are dedicated to caring for and fighting this disease in Kenya," said H.E. Ambassador Peter Ogego.

Although AIDS-related deaths in Kenya have decreased, the disease still affects over a million people throughout the country. In addition to assisting with general education and counseling, the aid package will benefit 550,000 orphans and children. Specifically, it will provide them with additional disease prevention and testing including peripheral diseases like Tuberculosis.

With this commitment, it is anticipated that the United States government will increase its direct support for the fight against HIV/AIDS by a minimum of 10 percent annually - a commitment that will help the Kenyan government and organizations on the ground, USAID; the National AIDS Control Council (NACC); the National AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases Control Programme (NASCOP), fight the ongoing battle against this disease.

For more information, please contact Lisa Mendelson at lmendelson@clsdc.com or 202-777-3561.