By: Agwanda Saye
Kisumu Governor and Chair of the Taskforce on Kenya’s Transition to First World Status, Prof. Anyang’ Nyong’o, has emphasized the urgent need for a national conversation on Kenya’s post-2030 long-term development vision.
Speaking during the launch of the vision in Nairobi, Nyong’o noted that Kenya has been guided by Vision 2030 as its long-term development plan since 2008, implemented through successive five-year Medium-Term Plans (MTPs). MTP 4, covering the period from 2023 to 2027, remains anchored on Vision 2030.
He further highlighted that Vision 2030 was originally intended to transform Kenya into a newly industrializing, middle-income country providing a high quality of life to all citizens in a clean and secure environment.
“With 2030 now just around the corner, it is necessary to take stock of how far we have come, as some of the challenges that Vision 2030 was designed to address have been substantially resolved, while others remain unresolved or have become more complex. At the same time, Kenya is presently facing new challenges that were largely non-existent when the vision was conceived, in a global and regional environment that has changed fundamentally since the vision was unveiled more than two decades ago,” Nyong’o stated.
He stressed the necessity of beginning to plan for the period beyond 2030, allowing sufficient time to formulate Kenya’s long-term development goals through an inclusive, consultative, and participatory process in keeping with the constitutional requirement for meaningful public participation.
“Regionally and across the continent, Kenya also faces increased competition, including from neighboring East African countries as nations pursue greater economic, infrastructural, and technological competitiveness,” he added.
Nyong’o cautioned that with a global competitive environment far more intense than when Vision 2030 was launched, Kenya cannot afford complacency. Sustained investment, innovation, competitiveness, and strategic foresight are essential to ensure the country does not fall behind.
He also pointed out that despite general elections being due in just about a year, one of the crucial lessons Kenya must learn from countries that achieved rapid socio-economic transformation in recent history—such as in Asia—is that long-term development goals must not be disrupted by electoral cycles and the political leadership changes that accompany them.
“Let us join this national conversation with open minds and a shared sense of purpose to imagine and craft our collective future as one Kenyan people and build consensus on how best to achieve our national goals for shared prosperity,” Nyong’o concluded.
