Beyond Vision 2030: Case for leaders who were there the first time

On August 12, at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, President William Ruto opened the National Conversation on Kenya’s future Beyond Vision 2030.

The administration has described it as the most consequential exercise in national reflection since the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution. Much of the debate has focused on what the next blueprint should contain — industrialisation, artificial intelligence, climate resilience and universal healthcare. All are important. But the more consequential question is who should convene and drive the process.

The experience of Vision 2030 offers an important lesson. Launched in 2008 under President Mwai Kibaki, Vision 2030 was not a failure. It delivered transformative projects including the Thika Superhighway, the Standard Gauge Railway, an expanded national grid and improved road infrastructure.

But its shortcomings were equally instructive. Economic growth did not automatically translate into jobs or equity. Infrastructure alone could not close the gap between government policy and citizens' everyday experiences.

The problem, therefore, was not necessarily a lack of ambition. It was the gap between the blueprint and its implementation — between a strategy paper and a functioning facility serving citizens.

That is why the choice of people guiding Beyond Vision 2030 matters. Kenya needs leaders who understand not only how to write plans, but how to turn them into programmes that work on the ground. This is where Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru’s record deserves consideration.

Between 2007 and 2013, as Vision 2030 moved from launch to implementation, Waiguru served at the National Treasury as Head of Governance and the Economic Stimulus Programme and as Director of the Integrated Financial Management Information System.

She later became first Cabinet Secretary for Devolution and Planning, overseeing a docket that coordinated the Vision 2030 Delivery Secretariat and medium-term plans as the country transitioned into devolved government.

One of the products of that period was Huduma Kenya, conceived under Vision 2030 and developed into an integrated service delivery network offering more than 100 government services under one roof. It later earned Kenya a United Nations Public Service Award.

The significance of such initiatives lies not simply in their existence, but in what they demonstrate: ability to move an idea from a policy document into a system that citizens can actually use. Waiguru’s record in Kirinyaga provides another test. The county now has the 342-bed Kerugoya County Referral Hospital, equipped with facilities including an intensive care unit, high dependency unit, cancer centre, CT scanner and eye unit.

The county has also expanded its network of dispensaries, upgraded hospitals and invested in markets and urban infrastructure. More importantly, the Mountain Cities Blueprint 2032 demonstrates an attempt to plan beyond immediate political and budget cycles.

That experience matters as Kenya considers a charter stretching well beyond the lifespan of any individual administration. Waiguru also occupies a distinctive position politically. As a leading figure in Mt Kenya and within the Kenya Kwanza administration, she has often chosen engagement with the national development agenda over political confrontation.

The Beyond Vision 2030 process has brought together experts, including Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o and Prof Hiroyuki Hino, and is expected to engage citizens across all 47 counties. Its greatest challenge will be ensuring the national conversation does not remain detached from county realities. Kenya needs people who understand both sides of that divide — policymakers who have worked in national government and leaders who have subsequently implemented policy at county and community level.

Vision 2030 did not lack vision. Its unfinished business lies largely in implementation. As Kenya writes its next long-term development story, it should therefore make room for those who were present during the first chapter — particularly leaders with evidence that they know what it takes to carry a blueprint from Nairobi to the last mile.

-The writer is a communications strategist