Key Highlights of President Uhuru's State of the Nation Address

President Kenyatta on Thursday afternoon delivered this year's State of the Nation Address before a joint sitting of Parliament.

In his speech, Kenyatta addressed a number of key issues including the war on corruption, the Big Four agenda, national unity and development, devolution as well as the state of the country's economy.

Kenyatta reassured Kenyans of his commitment in the war against graft, stating that there is no turning back.

"[There will be] no turning back in the war against corruption as it is a just war, a war to prevent misuse of public resources for selfish interests by those we have entrusted to manage them," says Uhuru.

He has also reiterated his administration's commitment to fulfilling the Big Four agenda, which seeks to deliver on four key areas namely; universal health coverage, affordable housing, food security, and manufacturing.

"To facilitate implementation of the Big Four programmes, I urge Parliament to fast-track the mediation of the Land Value Index Laws (Amendment) Bill, the Physical Planning Bill, the Irrigation Bill, the Warehouse Receipt System Bill and Kenya Roads Bill," says Kenyatta.

"In manufacturing, my administration is prioritizing local motor vehicle assembly and manufacturing of spare parts. This initiative has witnessed Peugeot and Volkswagen assembly lines set up in Kenya."

"Our programme on Universal Health Coverage is expected to ensure a healthier nation as the basis for social and economic development. In this regard, we have successfully rolled-out the pilot phase of the programme in the counties of Isiolo, Machakos, Nyeri, and Kisumu. We are on course for the full roll-out of the universal health coverage in the year 2019/20 in the remaining 43 counties."

On national unity, Kenyatta says he will not relent in his bid to unite the country including implementing the Building Bridges Initiative, a result of his historic handshake with Opposition leader Raila Odinga on March 9th, 2018.

On Devolution, Kenyatta notes:" Devolution has received the full and firm support of my administration, and, together with an enabling and supportive Parliament, we have seen it transform lives, revive local economies, and bring service delivery closer to the People. There is no turning back on devolution. The system is sound and has proven its value and contribution to national development.'

On the economy, the President has revealed that the country is expected to experience growth as a result of the implementation of the big four agenda.

"Kenya's economy is strong and is expected to grow by 6.3 percent in 2019 with improvements in the execution of the Big Four."