NewzNAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 2 — Former Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has dismissed President William Ruto’s push to develop a successor to Vision 2030, arguing that the initiative is intended to divert public attention from pressing governance and constitutional issues. Matiang’i criticised the proposed Vision 2060 framework as the government moves to launch nationwide consultations on a new long-term development blueprint after the expiry of Vision 2030. He questioned the timing of the initiative, arguing that the administration should instead focus on addressing what he described as unresolved governance concerns and constitutional questions facing the country.
His remarks add to growing criticism of the Vision 2060 process from opposition figures, including former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who has similarly argued that the government should prioritise immediate economic and governance challenges. President Ruto has defended the initiative, saying Kenya needs a long-term development framework anchored in the 2010 Constitution and insulated from electoral politics. Speaking during a church service in Uasin Gishu County on Sunday, Ruto said Vision 2030 was developed before the promulgation of the current Constitution and that Kenya now needed to operationalise its constitutional development agenda.
“It is going to be a conversation about the future of Kenya, and we are going to put it into law,” Ruto said. The President said the planned consultations would involve Kenyans from across the country, including the private sector, academia, civil society, faith-based organisations, professional bodies, workers, young people and the creative industry. The government has announced that nationwide public consultations on Vision 2060 will begin on August 12, with the process expected to culminate in a citizen-driven development charter.
Matiang’i’s criticism comes as political activity intensifies ahead of the 2027 General Election, with opposition leaders increasingly challenging the government’s policies and long-term agenda. NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 2 — President William Ruto has defended the government’s proposed Vision 2060 blueprint, saying the long-term development plan will be anchored in the Constitution and protected from electoral politics. Speaking during a church service in Uasin Gishu County on Sunday, in his first public remarks since unveiling the initiative, Ruto said Kenya had made significant progress in implementing constitutional provisions on governance, political parties and human rights but had yet to fully operationalise the Constitution’s development agenda.
“The Vision 2030 was unveiled before we had the 2010 Constitution. It is time to operationalise the chapter of development of the Republic of Kenya,” Ruto said. He said the process of developing Vision 2060 must involve Kenyans across the country and should not be left to political leaders.
“That charter cannot be done with leaders only; the people must join in the conversation of operationalising that chapter of development of Kenya,” he said. The President maintained that the proposed national development charter would not be shaped by political interests or the 2027 General Election, but would instead provide a legally anchored framework to guide Kenya’s economic and social transformation over the coming decades. The remarks come days after Ruto announced that the government will begin nationwide public consultations on August 12 to develop Vision 2060 as a successor to Vision 2030, Kenya’s long-term development blueprint launched in 2008.
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