By Valentine Omondi
A new conversation, a journey into the future. Exit Vision 2030 after the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution, and now a walk into the future.
At a press conference in State House, President Ruto made a bold move by asking Kenyans to dream of the future and engage in a national conversation.
Ruto unveiled plans to develop a new long-term national development blueprint to succeed Vision 2030, calling on Kenyans to take part in what he described as the country’s “most consequential national conversation” since the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution.
In a Special National Address from State House, Nairobi, on Thursday evening, Ruto said Kenya has reached a point where it must begin planning for the decades beyond Vision 2030, arguing that recent economic gains provide the right environment to chart the country’s future.
“Tonight I invite every Kenyan to what I believe will become the most consequential national conversation since the adoption of our Constitution in 2010. A national conversation about Kenya’s development. This conversation must rise above politics, transcend electoral cycles and unite us around a shared destiny,” the President said.
Ruto said the process of crafting the new blueprint will be informed by wide consultations with leaders, experts and ordinary citizens. He revealed that he had already consulted current and former national leaders, political leaders and scholars, and appointed a team of experts to begin examining Kenya’s future beyond Vision 2030.
“I have sought the counsel of current and former national leaders, political leaders, scholars… It was in that spirit that I invited Prof. Hiroyuki Hino, Professor Anyang’ Nyong’o and their distinguished colleagues to begin examining Kenya’s future beyond Vision 2030,” he said.
The President argued that Kenya is entering this new phase from a position of economic stability, crediting his administration’s reforms with restoring investor confidence and strengthening key economic indicators.
“Because we have restored stability, rebuilt investor confidence, and laid a firm foundation for our economy, now is the perfect opportunity for Kenya to begin shaping the next phase of our national development,” he said.
Ruto highlighted what he described as the government’s economic achievements, saying the country had regained macroeconomic stability after a difficult period.
“Together, we achieved that. We have restored macroeconomic stability. We have stabilised our currency. We have rebuilt our foreign exchange reserves to nearly US$14 billion, providing almost six months of import cover. Inflation has fallen. Borrowing costs have declined. Investor confidence has returned,” he said.
The President also cited Kenya’s improved global competitiveness as evidence that the country’s reforms are bearing fruit.
“The 2025 IMD World Competitiveness Ranking placed Kenya as the most competitive economy in Africa, reflecting the confidence our reforms have restored,” he said.
The announcement marks the beginning of the process to replace Vision 2030, Kenya’s long-term development strategy launched in 2008 under former President Mwai Kibaki. The blueprint sought to transform Kenya into a globally competitive and prosperous upper middle-income country by 2030 through reforms anchored on the economic, social and political pillars.
While Vision 2030 delivered landmark infrastructure projects, expansion of digital services, improvements in energy access, and growth in several sectors of the economy, many of its targets remain unmet due to economic shocks, the COVID-19 pandemic, climate-related challenges, and mounting fiscal pressures.
Ruto’s proposal seeks to build on the gains achieved under Vision 2030 while creating a new long-term framework that reflects Kenya’s changing economic, technological and demographic realities. The government says the new blueprint will be developed through nationwide public participation, with citizens expected to play a central role in shaping the country’s next chapter of development.
As Kenya approaches the final years of Vision 2030, the success of the proposed blueprint will depend not only on the ideas generated through public participation but also on the government’s ability to implement them and translate long-term plans into tangible improvements in the lives of ordinary citizens.
