Kenya should begin shaping its next long-term development agenda through a broad national conversation that brings together political leaders, experts and the public, Associate Professor of Media and Communication Prof Murej Mak’Ochieng has said.
Mak’Ochieng warned that efforts to develop a framework to guide the country beyond Vision 2030 could fail if they are pushed ahead without wide political backing and public participation.
Speaking during a Radio Generation interview on Wednesday, the professor said preparations for a new long-term development framework should start now as Kenya approaches the end of the Vision 2030 period.
Vision 2030, launched in 2008, was designed as Kenya’s long-term development blueprint, with the aim of turning the country into a newly industrialising, middle-income economy that offers a high quality of life to its citizens by 2030.
The plan is built around economic, social and political pillars and has been implemented through flagship projects and a series of medium-term plans.
With the country nearing the end of the framework, attention has shifted to what should guide Kenya’s development after 2030. Mak’Ochieng said the country should, however, avoid presenting early proposals as though they already constitute a new national vision.
He said a team led by Kisumu Governor Professor Anyang’ Nyong’o had prepared a document intended to provide a starting point for discussions about Kenya’s future direction.
Mak’Ochieng stressed that the document should not be treated as Kenya’s next development blueprint, saying it was only meant to help start the conversation.
He added that Nyong’o had since handed over the process, although his current role in the initiative was not clear.
“There is no vision yet. There are certain suggestions around, you know, where we need to go and how we need to go there.”
The professor said Kenya would need a new body or secretariat to manage the process, coordinate consultations and help develop the ideas into a comprehensive national vision.
He also cautioned against settling on the name Vision 2063, saying no official name had been agreed upon for the post-2030 framework.
“It hasn't been given a name yet. You know, we had Vision 2030, but this is something that I think probably when people put the 30 years and so on and so forth, they come to 2063 or whatever, but probably a different name is going to be given there,” he said.
Mak’Ochieng said references to Singapore should be viewed as an example of what Kenya could achieve through proper long-term planning and not as a blueprint that the country should directly copy.
He said communication would also be central to the process, arguing that Kenyans must clearly understand why the new national vision is being developed, what it seeks to achieve and how they can contribute to it.
“If this was going to be, if it is going to be successful, the whole process, you know, strategic communication has got to be a huge part of it.”
Mak’Ochieng urged the country not to wait until Vision 2030 formally comes to an end before deciding what comes next.
“We must have that conversation. We must have it. It is important. We can't move towards 2030 without knowing what do we do beyond that,” he said.
He warned that political differences could weaken the process if important sections of the political leadership and the public are left out of the discussions.
According to Mak’Ochieng, the process should bring together specialists from different fields, including academia, economics and agriculture, among other sectors.
He said Kenya has enough expertise to develop a detailed and workable development framework before the end of 2026, provided the process is properly organised and inclusive.
The professor further cautioned against rushing to produce a final document without first building broad agreement around its goals and direction.
He called for the establishment of a strong secretariat that would coordinate public and expert consultations, build consensus and help turn the proposals already emerging into a national development agenda that enjoys wide support.