NAIROBI, Kenya — Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has sharply criticised President William Ruto’s ambition to transform Kenya into a first-world economy modelled on Singapore, arguing that the vision is detached from the country’s current economic realities.
Speaking on Sunday during a public engagement, Kalonzo questioned how Kenya could aspire to emulate advanced economies while businesses continue to relocate to neighbouring countries and unemployment remains high, particularly among the youth.
“How do you make Kenya Singapore when many companies in Kenya have migrated to Tanzania and Uganda, and our youth are unemployed? How do you do that?” Kalonzo posed.
The former Vice President said concerns over capital flight and job losses were formally raised during the 2023 bipartisan talks between the opposition and the government, conducted under the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO).
According to Kalonzo, reports presented at the talks showed that firms were steadily exiting Kenya, a trend he says has persisted despite assurances from the government.
“This was given to us during the NADCO report; it was actually brought to us in hard copies. At that time, we were told it was because of what had happened in the country, but it continued. Nothing has changed,” he said. “Companies are migrating from Kenya, which means exporting jobs to Uganda and Tanzania.”
Kalonzo dismissed President Ruto’s “Singapore narrative” as a political strategy aimed at winning public support ahead of the 2027 General Election rather than a realistic economic roadmap. He described it as a “dead card” that ignores the lived experiences of ordinary Kenyans grappling with the high cost of living.
The Wiper leader also contrasted the President’s new ambitions with the country’s long-standing development blueprint, Vision 2030, which envisaged Kenya attaining middle-income status by the end of the decade.
“Kenya was supposed by 2030 to be a middle-income country with citizens enjoying a high quality of life,” Kalonzo said. “How many Kenyans today are able to put food on the table, and you are telling us you want to take us to Singapore?”
President Ruto first elaborated his vision on November 20 during the State of the Nation address, where he outlined a ten-year plan to reposition Kenya as a globally competitive economy, drawing inspiration from Singapore, Japan, South Korea and Malaysia.
The plan includes large-scale infrastructure investments estimated to cost more than Sh5 trillion.
Among the proposals are the construction of over 2,500 kilometres of dual carriageways, the tarmacking of 28,000 kilometres of roads, completion of the Standard Gauge Railway to Malaba, and the building of at least 50 mega dams alongside hundreds of smaller ones to support irrigation on 2.5 million acres of land.
Government officials have defended the plan as a long-term “generational strategy” designed to mobilise capital, accelerate development and enhance Kenya’s competitiveness. They argue that infrastructure expansion and structural reforms are essential to unlocking growth and attracting investment.
However, critics like Kalonzo insist that without addressing immediate economic pressures—such as business closures, job losses and declining household incomes—the vision risks becoming an aspirational slogan rather than a transformative policy agenda.
The debate over Kenya’s development path is expected to intensify as political actors position themselves ahead of the 2027 elections, with economic performance and job creation likely to remain central campaign issues.
