President William Ruto has defended his proposal for a new national development blueprint, Vision 2060, arguing that Kenya cannot chart its future without a fresh long-term plan shaped by the country’s current constitutional and economic realities.
Speaking during a church service at ACK St Stephen’s Chepkoilel in Uasin Gishu County on Sunday, the President rejected criticism from opposition leaders, saying the initiative was about planning for future generations rather than politics.
Ruto said Kenya had reached a point where it needed a successor to Vision 2030, the development framework introduced during the administration of former President Mwai Kibaki.
“Last week I said we have an opportunity to have a conversation to plan for the country. Mwai Kibaki planned Vision 2030. We must have a vision, and we have enough reasons to have that discussion,” the President said.
He argued that the country’s circumstances had changed significantly since Vision 2030 was drafted, noting that it was developed before the adoption of the 2010 Constitution.
“Vision 2030 was developed before we had a new Constitution. Now we have a new Constitution. We have operationalised all sections of the Constitution. Now we must operationalise the development chapter, and it cannot be done in darkness. People must come out and give their views,” he said.
The President called for a nationwide conversation on Kenya’s long-term future, urging citizens, professionals and political leaders to contribute ideas that could shape the country’s development over the next three decades.
“I want to encourage all of us as leaders, as citizens, it is time as a nation to agree on where Kenyans must be in this generation. We cannot be a country where the majority lives in poverty. We must make sure Kenya becomes a wealthy and prosperous nation,” he said.
Ruto also defended key government programmes, including affordable housing and universal health coverage, suggesting that some of the criticism directed at his administration stemmed from resistance to those policies.
“There are leaders who have problems with me because I want to build affordable houses to get people out of slums and provide universal health coverage. The Constitution does not envisage a poor country,” he said.
The President maintained that the proposed consultations would not be tied to the 2027 General Election, insisting the exercise was intended to establish a long-term national vision that future governments could implement.
“If you do not have a vision, millions of Kenyans have. It is not going to be a conversation about leaders, political parties or 2027, but the future of the country, and we will put it in law. The 2027 elections will come, but for now let us plan how the country will move forward,” he said.
He announced that public consultations on Vision 2060 would begin on August 12, inviting Kenyans from across the country to take part in the discussions.
The proposal has, however, drawn criticism from opposition leaders, who argue that the government’s immediate focus should be on fulfilling existing promises under Vision 2030 and addressing the country’s pressing economic challenges.
Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has questioned the need for a new long-term strategy before the current blueprint has been fully implemented. People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua has also argued that the government should prioritise governance reforms, the cost of living, unemployment, healthcare financing and taxation before launching another decades-long development agenda.
The debate has exposed broader questions over Kenya’s development priorities. Supporters see Vision 2060 as an opportunity to update the country’s long-term ambitions under the constitutional order established in 2010. Critics, meanwhile, argue that public confidence will depend less on new plans and more on the government’s ability to deliver on existing commitments.
About the Author
