NAIROBI, Kenya- President William Ruto has called on Kenyans to shift their focus from election cycles and embrace long-term planning as the country begins a national conversation on its future beyond Vision 2030.
Speaking during the launch of the Beyond 2030 national conversation in Nairobi, Ruto said Kenya’s development plans should no longer be shaped primarily by the political demands of the next election.
“For far too long, we have made elections seem like a matter of life and death. It’s not,” Ruto said.
The President argued that short-term political considerations have sometimes prevented leaders from implementing policies that could benefit the country in the long run.
“The reason why we’ve not achieved some of our targets is that we have made our plans not with the foresight of the future, but simply thinking about the next election,” he said.
Ruto said leaders are frequently advised against pursuing certain policies because of their potential political consequences.
“Many are telling me, ‘Leave this thing until after the next election.’ I am telling them, Kenya must think beyond the election and think about the next generation,” he said.
Ruto: Beyond 2030 is a collective responsibility
Ruto stressed that the initiative should not be viewed as a government programme, but as a national undertaking involving Kenyans from different sectors.
“Nobody has the monopoly of good ideas. Beyond 2030 is our collective responsibility,” the President said.
He said the process should bring together farmers, entrepreneurs, students, technocrats and other stakeholders to help shape the country’s long-term development priorities.
“This is not a government project. This is a people’s project,” Ruto said.
The President outlined three major reasons for beginning the conversation at this point.
He said Vision 2030 is approaching the end of its implementation period and pointed to changes in the global environment, including technology, artificial intelligence and climate change.
Further, he noted that Vision 2030 was formulated before the adoption of the 2010 Constitution, which he said provides a clearer framework for long-term national planning.
Ruto highlights infrastructure gains
Ruto also used the occasion to highlight what he described as progress made in infrastructure and other sectors under successive administrations.
He said Kenya now has about 20,000 kilometres of paved roads, a functioning Standard Gauge Railway, the Nairobi Expressway and expanded electricity connectivity.
The President said the number of households connected to electricity had reached about 10 million and was approaching 11 million.
He also pointed to changes in the education sector, saying Kenya had made significant progress.
“We have done fairly well,” Ruto said.
Kindiki urges Kenyans to avoid politicising development
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki backed the call for long-term planning, saying Kenya has the potential to join the ranks of wealthy and developed countries if it maintains effective leadership and policy continuity.
“I believe that Kenya is able to get into the league of wealthy and developed countries. We only need good leadership. It is possible,” Kindiki said.
He challenged Kenyans to approach the national development conversation with optimism rather than scepticism.
“Let us not politicize the development of our country,” he said.
Kindiki said political competition should not interfere with long-term development policies.
“We can politicize everything else, but let us not politicize the development of this country,” he said.
He called for policy consistency and continuity, arguing that Kenya needs to build on the foundations established by successive governments.
Kindiki defends road development
Kindiki also highlighted road construction, saying the Ruto administration inherited stalled projects that required the government to address outstanding payments to contractors.
“When President Ruto took over, we had to fix the stalled roads by first paying road contractors through innovative resource mobilization,” Kindiki said.
He claimed road construction was now taking place across all counties, including areas he said had previously been left out of major infrastructure programmes.
The Beyond 2030 conversation is expected to provide a platform for stakeholders to debate Kenya’s long-term development priorities as the country looks beyond the current Vision 2030 framework.
