NAIROBI, Kenya — Kisumu Governor Prof. Anyang’ Nyong’o has urged Kenyans to keep the proposed Vision 2060 development agenda separate from the 2027 General Election, arguing that long-term national planning should not be disrupted by political and electoral cycles.
Speaking in Nairobi on Wednesday during the launch of the National Conversation: Beyond 2030, Nyong’o said Kenya should draw lessons from countries that have achieved sustained socio-economic transformation by maintaining development policies across successive administrations.
He warned against allowing the political contest ahead of next year’s elections to overshadow discussions on Kenya’s long-term future.
“This conversation is not about the next general elections. Indeed, one of the lessons that Kenya must learn from the countries that achieved socio-economic transformation in recent history in Asia, for example, is that long-term development goals must not be disrupted by electoral cycles and the political leadership that such elections bring up from time to time,” Nyong’o said.
The governor said the development of Vision 2060 should be treated as a national process rather than an initiative associated with any particular political administration.
He also clarified that the team tasked with designing the proposed long-term vision does not have a predetermined blueprint, but only broad guidelines on how the process should be conducted.
“This meeting is therefore the first step in a journey that must not be rushed,” he said.
Nyong’o called for sufficient time to be allocated to consultations so that Kenyans from different backgrounds can contribute to shaping the country’s development priorities beyond the expiry of Vision 2030.
He said the objective should be to build broad national consensus around Kenya’s aspirations and the strategies required to achieve shared prosperity.
“Let us give ourselves reasonable time to have an inclusive conversation among Kenyans regarding the future of our nation,” he added.
A Citizen-Led Development Blueprint
The National Conversation: Beyond 2030 seeks to establish a framework that will guide Kenya’s development after the current Vision 2030 blueprint reaches its target period.
The proposed Vision 2060 is expected to cover areas including economic transformation, industrialisation, employment, education, healthcare, infrastructure, technology, food security, climate resilience, national wealth and governance.
The process comes amid calls for Kenya to establish development priorities that can survive changes in political leadership and ensure continuity in major national projects and policies.
President William Ruto has previously said the process should be inclusive and citizen-led, stressing that a national development vision cannot be written by the government alone.
In a special address to the nation last month, President Ruto reaffirmed that the process would be inclusive, transparent and citizen-led, with Kenyans expected to play a central role in determining the country’s long-term direction.
