Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has criticised President Ruto’s proposal to develop a new long-term national development blueprint to succeed Vision 2030, arguing that Kenya’s economic ambitions cannot be separated from the constitutional principles that underpin governance.
In a statement issued shortly after President Ruto’s Special National Address on Thursday evening, Sifuna accused the Head of State of creating what he described as a “false equivalence” between constitutional values and economic development.
“Ruto just spent 40 minutes trying to create a false equivalence between our national values set out in the Constitution and his so called ‘development’. Kenyans, please trust me when I tell you there is a reason the Preamble comes before Article 43,” Sifuna said.
The Nairobi Senator maintained that Kenya’s development agenda must remain firmly anchored in the ideals that informed the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution.
“You don’t get to the ‘development’ clauses until and unless you have taken into account the reasons we passed this Constitution in the first place- Democracy, Human Rights, Freedom, Equality, Rule of Law and Social Justice,” he added.
National Dialogue Beyond Vision 2030
Sifuna’s remarks followed President Ruto’s announcement of a nationwide public participation process aimed at developing Kenya’s next long-term development framework after the expiry of Vision 2030.
In his address, the President said the National Conversation on Kenya’s Future Beyond Vision 2030 will officially begin on August 12, 2026, describing it as the country’s most significant public participation exercise since the promulgation of the Constitution in 2010.
According to Ruto, the process will involve all 47 counties and bring together political parties, civil society, universities, professional bodies, the private sector, faith-based organisations, workers’ unions, innovators, the creative industry and young people.
“Our Constitution places public participation at the very heart of governance. It is therefore not merely my desire, but my constitutional duty, to ensure that the national vision which succeeds Vision 2030 is shaped through an inclusive, transparent, people-driven, and genuinely national process,” the President said.
Experts Already Submitted Proposals
President Ruto disclosed that he had commissioned a team of experts, including Kisumu Governor Prof. Anyang’ Nyong’o and Japanese political scientist Prof. Hiroyuki Hino, to begin examining Kenya’s long-term future beyond Vision 2030.
He said the experts had already submitted proposals outlining strategic priorities that envision Kenya becoming a prosperous, industrialised, high-income and globally competitive nation within one generation.
“The thrust of their proposals is both ambitious and achievable: that Kenya can become a prosperous, high-income, industrialised and globally competitive nation within one generation, provided we remain united in purpose, disciplined in execution and unwavering in our commitment to long-term national transformation,” Ruto stated.
However, the President emphasised that the proposals would only serve as a starting point for a broader national conversation.
“These proposals provide the foundation for a much broader national conversation: a conversation that now belongs not to Government, nor to its authors, but to every Kenyan,” he said.
Vision 2030 Nearing Its End
President Ruto acknowledged that while Vision 2030 has significantly influenced Kenya’s development agenda over the past two decades, several of its major targets- including attaining upper-middle-income status by 2030- remain unmet.
He said the transition presents an opportunity for Kenyans to evaluate the country’s achievements and shortcomings while collectively designing a new national development charter that aligns with the aspirations of the Constitution.
“For two decades, Vision 2030 shaped our national development priorities, informed public policy, catalysed investment and inspired the promulgation our new Constitution,” Ruto said.
“As Vision 2030 approaches its horizon, our responsibility is not simply to replace it with another Government development plan. Our responsibility is far greater under the 2010 Constitution to craft a new national development charter that gives effect to the development imperatives enshrined in the Constitution and to decide, together, what kind of Kenya we want to build over the next generation.”
Sifuna Insists Constitution Must Come First
Sifuna, however, maintained that constitutional values must remain the foundation of any future national development framework.
The Senator argued that democracy, human rights, equality, freedom, the rule of law and social justice are the pillars upon which meaningful development should be built, cautioning against prioritising economic goals without safeguarding constitutional governance.
