Your Excellency Dr. Wne, the Senator, Crystal Lassig, the Deputy Ambassador of Japan, the Secretariat, all members of the Lead Eag Leadership Academy and this alumni network that is here. Ladies and gentlemen, let me say again, it's both an honor and a joy to be together with you today at this moment as we officially launch this alumni network. And why? And that is because today we celebrate not only the academy's first three cohorts, but also the promise of a generation that will shape the destiny of our region and our continent now and into the future.
Indeed, as I have looked at you today, I'm reminded of the many young, charismatic men and women who were not afraid to dream and act on their dreams in the early years of Kenya's independence as well as Africa's independence. People like Tomboy who were ministers of government for planning at the ages of 28, 29. Sure, many of you here are older than that. Others like Ken Matiba who were around 27 and they were permanent secretaries. They were shaping the country, they were shaping the continent at those ages. So when somebody tells you you young people, tell them no, as leaders of today, because that is what you are. Because all these others were called young, but yet their vision has helped shape not only Kenya, our region, but undoubtedly the entire continent. And I hope this encourages you never to stop dreaming and most of all to believe as Crystal has told you in yourselves to pursue your dreams, because change only happens when one courageous person takes a step. Just one, choosing to become the change that they want to see. Not waiting for change, but that one person who is probably sitting in this room who decides that yes, I want to be the change. I don't want to wait for somebody to tell me what to do. I want to be the change that I want to see. And that is the first step in leadership.
Leadership my friends is not leadership again as we have heard for power. Leadership is responsibility. Leadership is about responsibility, not the power and the trappings that are associated with it. All of us here, myself, Dr. Wne, have held leadership roles and we aspired to them. We didn't wait for them to be given to us. We went out to get them. We went out to get them. And one lesson I have learned in my journey is this: that if you truly want to get to the top of the ladder, the first thing you have to realize is that leadership is not about what title you hold. It is not about the title. I repeat again, leadership that is going to be trusted. It is leadership that knows and bears responsibility for its actions. Not by the power that you hold but by the trust that is bestowed upon you by the people who you wish to lead. Power may look glamorous, but the true impact of your leadership qualities will be measured by the impact that you leave behind.
My own journey through governance and diplomacy in many ways has taught me that legacy is built in moments of service. When you choose dialogue over division, when we prioritize the common good over personal gain, and when we plant the seeds of peace that future generations can harvest. True legacy is not about moments or accolades. It is about people. It is about the lives that are transformed because we dared to lead with integrity, with humility and with vision.
The Africa as seen today, the Africa we are today is not the same Africa of yesterday. Across our continent, demands for transparency, accountability, citizen participation are increasing. Technology is reshaping how governments interact with their people. Most importantly, young voices are rising. Young voices that are energetic, innovative, and determined to break barriers. Your own presence here is evidence that the future of governance will be defined by you. We have always been told when the word young is used that you are leaders of tomorrow. The truth of the matter is if you continue believing you are the leaders of tomorrow, that tomorrow will never come. You are leaders of today.
Your ideas, your courage, your personal commitment will shape policies, will shape communities, will reshape institutions. And as you go about it, do not fear failure. You understand me? There is no one perfect except God. We are all human. Do not fear failure because you will stumble. But in Swahili we have a saying that says to slip does not mean you have fallen or failed. You will stand up again. So long as you have the humility and the ability to accept your mistakes and to correct yourself as you move forward. Do not, I repeat, do not fear failure. Every single setback is a lesson and every challenge is an opportunity to grow.
And always remember that to grow you need each other. You want to grow alone. Yes, you may grow rapidly. But by leaving everybody behind, you will have achieved nothing. But if you grow and you carry others with you in your leadership process, you will be amazed by what you will be able to achieve. There is no point in you being at the pinnacle and you have left everybody else behind. You must grow together. And one is one of the principles that I truly appreciate of this particular organization of ours called Eager. The fact that you come from many different parts of our region. Remember that you need one another. The problems of Ethiopia are not far from the doorstep of Kenya. They are the problems of Kenya. The problem of Sudan is not far from Ethiopia, from Somalia, from Djibouti, from Kenya. So it is your problem. The problems of Kenya are the problems of Uganda, of Itria. So you cannot think that you are a little island. And I want to thank that young man who talked about the importance of integration and his determination to pursue an integration agenda. The problems are the same, the challenges are the same. You talk to people across and I've had that opportunity to talk to people across borders. What are they concerned about? They are concerned about health. They are concerned about the lack of opportunity. They are concerned about good infrastructure. They are concerned about education. They are concerned about poverty. They are concerned about war. These things belong to all of us. And we will not resolve them unless we hold each other's hands and we walk together as opposed to alone. So recognize my friends that collaboration, not just your personal ambition but collaboration, is and will be your greatest strength.
We also mentioned that in my years of mediation and diplomacy, I have also witnessed the power of dialogue to heal wounds and the strength of unity to overcome crisis because we will always be going from one crisis to another. And crisis resolution, one must remember, has never been resolved through the power of a gun. Has never resolved any crisis. It may result in victory. But the deep wounds you leave behind, believe you me, if not in your generation, in the next generation, they will resurface. The power of diplomacy, the ability to be able to dialogue, to understand your brothers and sisters, to understand, as was stated here, their different cultures, to appreciate the diversity that exists amongst us, that there is no one here who is superior to the other. Our different cultures, our different religions. And as I always say, God put us here for a reason. He didn't put us here to kill each other. He put us here to work together and to take advantage of the bounty that he has given us. And yet we stand amazed as the richest continent on the world is mired in poverty as we fight over which line and whose border this is or that is or which community do I come from or which religion am I and yet at home you starve. How has that helped you? Let us enjoy and benefit from our diversity. Let us see the beauty in our respective origins and let us use that as strength, not as a weapon of weakness and destruction.
So therefore, my friends, as I've always said, regional integration must not be a dream. We must see it as a necessity. A necessity for our economies, for our societies and for our futures. Whether in trade, climate resilience, security, no nation can stand alone. We must walk together hand in hand, not in fear of each other, but with courage and trust and confidence in each other. Our region eager as I have said with its diversity and dynamism has the potential to be a beacon of cooperation for the entire continent. So this gathering that we have here to me is more than just a gathering. I believe it is a movement. I was very happy to hear the young man who stood here. I don't know where he is. Who said that when they saw what was happening in Sudan called upon you and you got together and you decided you must do something. Well done Bonga Bongesi. Yeah, about the situation in Sudan. I think that is wonderful. So you should see yourselves, like I'm saying, as a movement, a movement of young leaders committed to collaboration and practical initiatives that will shape the governance of our continent Africa for generations to come.
So as you build your careers, be it in government, be it diplomatic service, civil society, development programs, private sector. Again, I want to repeat, remember always that leadership is not about what position you shall hold. It is about purpose. And let your purpose always be to uplift your brothers and sisters, to unite your brothers and sisters, and to transform this great continent and region of ours. And from this vantage point, I am indeed confident that the future of governance in Africa is not a distant horizon. I can see it here. It is in this room. It is in each and every one of you. And I have no doubt that when history looks back, it will indeed say that this was a generation that dared to lead and in doing so changed the destiny of this continent. And I repeat again, if you're waiting, if you're waiting to be given leadership positions, you will wait until you have gray thinning hair like me and you will have done nothing. Leadership is now. And take it with both hands and feet. Yeah. And take it with vigor and with confidence because that is the only way you will change this continent for the better. May God bless you and I look forward so long as the heavyweight boxer invites me to continue having an opportunity to engage with you at any time any day. To end and God bless you all.
