President Kenyatta knighted to the Order of St John for Service to Humanity 

President Uhuru Kenyatta was on Sunday 29th May knighted to the Order of the St John for his service to humanity at State House Nairobi. The admission of President Kenyatta as Knight of the most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem was conducted by the Order’s Chancellor Dr Gillian Willmore at State House, Nairobi.

Appreciating the honour, President Kenyatta thanked Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for honouring him with the coveted award of a Knight under the Order of St John and committed to continue serving humanity with humility. “…let me once again thank Her Majesty the Queen for the incredible honour; and promise, even as I retire, I commit myself to the service of humanity not just in Kenya but globally,” President Kenyatta said.

President Kenyatta, later chaired a St John Kenya board meeting at State House, Nairobi in his capacity as the Chief Patron of the organization presided over its 92nd inspection parade where he announced a Shs 150 million annual Government sponsorship for the organization starting with Shs 100 million this financial year. The President challenged the humanitarian institution to include more young people in its activities by engaging learning institutions at primary, secondary and tertiary levels.

He also used the occasion to call upon Kenyans to continue being cautious of Covid-19 saying, despite the relaxation of disease containment measures, the danger of infections spreading still lurks. “We must, therefore, continue to be careful as we go about our daily callings; and more importantly, I urge all Kenyans to get vaccinated or receive your booster shots, so that we may put the pandemic behind us, once-and-for-all,” the President said.

The Head of State directed the Ministry of Education to develop innovative initiatives that will foster and recognize student volunteers among them preferential consideration when seeking internship opportunities. “By placing a value on volunteerism, we shall be nurturing a higher calling and building a strong sense of civic responsibility amongst the leaders of today and tomorrow,” the President said.

“Indeed, the Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) framework provides a perfect opportunity for this endeavour. I further call upon our Government institutions to grant preference to interns and attachés who have certified volunteer experience from certified charitable organizations such as St. John,” he said.

The President commended St John Kenya for contributing to favourable health indicators under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme, noting that the organization’s various pre-hospital care related training courses has ensured that the country has a growing population of first aiders. “Since St John Ambulance was started in Kenya back in 1923, it has led the way in the provision of ambulance and paramedical services in Kenya. Following your lead, many more ambulance service in the public and private sphere have sprung up,” the President said.

He particularly commended St John Kenya for being at the forefront in tackling emergencies, citing the organization’s leading role in the containment of the Covid-19 pandemic.