NAIROBI, Kenya — Treasury and Economic Planning Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has defended the proposed Vision 2060, saying Kenya needs a new long-term development blueprint as the current Vision 2030 framework approaches its target year.
Mbadi said the proposed vision should not be viewed as a personal project of President William Ruto, insisting that its development must be guided by public participation and the principles of the 2010 Constitution.
“I’ve heard people say, ‘Why has Ruto developed another vision?’ Ruto has not developed a vision. Tomorrow, we are starting conversations on how to develop a vision for this country. That should come out clearly,” Mbadi said.
The Cabinet Secretary explained that Vision 2060 is being proposed because Vision 2030, which was formulated in 2008 during the administration of former President Mwai Kibaki, is entering its final years.
He said Vision 2030 had provided an important foundation for Kenya’s development, with successive governments and political parties aligning many of their policies and programmes with its objectives.
“We have largely implemented Vision 2030. With a vision, you don’t have to hit all the targets. There are some misses. But largely, we have achieved a lot under Vision 2030,” Mbadi said.
Kenya is currently implementing the fourth Medium-Term Plan under Vision 2030, making it necessary, according to Mbadi, to begin discussions on the country’s development priorities beyond 2030.
“A country must start now conversing for the next vision. And that will be Vision 2060, as has been suggested,” he said.
Public Participation at the Centre
Mbadi said the process of developing the new blueprint would also provide an opportunity to assess the successes and shortcomings of Vision 2030 and determine which achievements should be carried forward into the next framework.
He noted that the development of Vision 2030 took place before the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution and was largely driven by technical experts.
“With the 2010 Constitution, public participation is mandatory,” he said, stressing that Kenyans must have a direct role in shaping Vision 2060.
Mbadi said consultations would be open to a wide range of stakeholders, including opposition leaders, experts, civil society and members of the public.
“If you have better ideas, this is the time for you to come. In fact, the President has invited even the opposition. Come, tomorrow we start engagement,” he said.
He rejected suggestions that Vision 2060 would belong to the current administration, noting that the proposed framework would extend far beyond President Ruto’s tenure.
“Vision 2060 is not for William Ruto. Ruto can only be in power up to 2032, not beyond. Therefore, this vision is not his. In fact, he will implement a very small part of that vision,” Mbadi said.
The Ministry of Economic Planning has established a team led by Professor Nyong’o and international economic consultant Professor Hiroyuki Hino to guide the consultation process.
Mbadi said the team had already submitted a report outlining how the country should approach the development of the new framework.
“Now is the time to sit together, engage, dialogue, agree on where Kenya is going,” he said.
Long-Term Economic Ambitions
The proposed Vision 2060 is expected to establish development priorities that can be pursued across successive administrations, rather than being tied to the political agenda of one government.
Mbadi said the process should help Kenyans determine their aspirations for the coming decades and identify the policies and investments required to achieve them.
He cited President Ruto’s ambition for Kenya to attain first-world status within the next 20 to 25 years, arguing that the country already has some of the foundations needed to pursue that goal.
“It is achievable. It is possible. We have already laid the foundation, the building blocks, which were started during President Kibaki’s time. President Ruto has actually built very strongly on those building blocks,” Mbadi said.
The Treasury CS also defended the government’s record, saying Kenyans would ultimately assess the Ruto administration based on its achievements.
He said the Vision 2060 consultations should therefore provide a national platform for discussing Kenya’s development priorities rather than becoming another political contest.
