Beyond Vision 2030: Kenya Begins Planning Its Next Long-Term Economic Transformation

Kenya is preparing to chart a new development path beyond Vision 2030, with a multi-sectoral working panel expected to be established in the coming weeks to develop the proposed Beyond Vision 2030 Economic Transformation Plan.

The panel will have the mandate to collate and consider views of professionals and the public before submitting a conclusive report to the public for further deliberation. Other non-state actors have also been roped into the initiative and are expected to lead grassroots engagement in a bid to ensure an all-inclusive national conversation and public participation with all the 47 county assemblies forming a nexus for public engagement.

In the new plan, the five main clusters targeted for transformation include health, education, infrastructure, security, labour. The framework is considered by government officials to be a crucial guide for Kenya’s post 2030 development journey. Governor of kisumu, Nyong’o said.

This will create a platform for Kenyans to decide on the national priority setting through an extensive public engagement process. He said the strategy for public engagement includes a national conversation, that begins from the grassroots through the County Assemblies and various public forums.

He said civic education will also be undertaken to ensure the public understand and can meaningfully participate in development agenda. The views of the public from this engagement are to be consolidated into a revised proposal which will subsequently be presented during a second National Conversation Forum where the public is expected to consider the proposal through spoken comments and written memoranda.

Upon securing consensus on the proposals, the process may lead to the formulation of a Development Bill which will then be presented to Parliament to be debated and considered by both the National Assembly and Senate.

A Development Bill also can be presented directly to the Head of State by Parliament for assent, while the president could also forward such a Bill to the legislature with proposed amendments. The chairperson of the expert team that previously advised the government on issues relating to long-term strategic interventions, Anyang Nyong’o, noted that this process, should remain focused on development and not politics even with the approaching General Election in the country. “The election will be around us; elections come and go.

We can continue with long term national plans at any time,” Nyong’o who is on record for having been leading a team of independent economic scholars tasked with the formulation of strategic proposal for Kenya for development for years to come was quoted.

However, not all are enthusiastic regarding the planned national conversation with Mr Ole Sapit having on a live television show with Jeff Koinange question whether the BBI phenomenon would not manifest given the tight political cycle surrounding the country. Mr.

Ole Sapit added that while it was important to plan for Kenya’s future, it was not clear if that was the top government priority, and not current governance challenges.

Organizers of National Conversation have denied claims by some commentators who argue they intentionally excluded significant stakeholders from the ongoing planning process, with Nyongo suggesting that tardy invitation process for some individuals, including members of the judiciary, could have caused their absence in initial sessions.

The Beyond 2030 economic transformation plan is, therefore, a noble initiative to chart a future economic direction of Kenya following the current development plan, but its long-term relevance hinges on successful public participation, political goodwill, and the ability of the resultant reforms to translate into practical solutions in a bid to propel long-run economic interests.