My hearty congratulations to the entire Kenya Under-18 team that took part in the just-concluded IAAF World U18 Championships. By winning an overall tally of 15 medals, these young men and women have, once again, reminded the world of our defiant spirit of hard work, dedication and resilience. In itself, the team exemplified true patriotism by flying the country’s flag with great pride and representing the nation with real distinction. More importantly, these young men and women competed, and won, cleanly; further dignifying the sport through fair competition. Thank you for making Kenya proud.
I also thank The First Lady, Margaret, for being a splendid patron for the championships; the organizers for putting up a wonderful event that brought the entire world to Nairobi and once again shone light on us as a preferred destination in the continent, pulling in outside investment and earning international confidence in our country's security and economy; the young volunteers who put in a lot of work and time to ensure that the event ran successfully; all the visiting teams for showing great trust in us; and most importantly, the over 180,000 fans who turned up to follow the proceedings at the stadium, and millions of others who followed the action on television. Thank you for making this the most memorable Under-18 Championship.
This tournament reminded us that irrespective of our differences, affiliations and preferences, we are one people and one nation. Let the unity of purpose that brought us together continue binding us during this electioneering period and beyond. I am committed to continuing to showcase our country's strength and our people's spirit to the world, to ensure that better and more prosperous days lie ahead for all Kenyans.