President William Ruto will on Wednesday, 12th August 2026, officially launch a national conversation on Kenya’s future beyond Vision 2030, describing it as the country’s first major national reflection and public participation exercise on a long-term development blueprint since the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution.
In a televised address to the nation on Thursday evening focused on the future of Vision 2030, President Ruto said Kenya’s long-term transformation must extend beyond a government policy document and instead be anchored in a people-driven, citizen-centred and future-focused national agenda.
He said the process should harness the collective wisdom, experience, imagination and aspirations of Kenyans while remaining open to the best ideas from around the world.
While acknowledging Vision 2030’s achievements over the past two decades, the President noted that several of its key targets remain unmet, saying the country has fallen short of some of the standards it set for itself.
“Vision 2030 has brought us this far, but it is approaching its horizon. It has served Kenya well. It transformed the way we think about national development, provided a common direction, inspired investment, guided public policy and demonstrated the power of long-term planning. But honesty also requires us to acknowledge that some of its ambitions remain unattained. In several respects, we are still falling short even of the very standards we set out for ourselves,” he said.
Ruto noted that Vision 2030 had set the goal of making Kenya an upper-middle-income country by 2030, but admitted the country remains off track.
“Vision 2030 set a target of Kenya becoming an upper-middle-income country by 2030. So far, we are off target. This is not a criticism of Vision 2030, nor is it a reason for disappointment,” he said.
The President said the next phase of Kenya’s transformation would focus on operationalising the Constitution’s development aspirations through an inclusive national dialogue that will shape the country’s long-term future.
He said the exercise presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Kenyans to collectively define the standards by which national progress should be measured and to establish a shared development charter that transcends political administrations and election cycles.
“National development must never be left to chance or short-term politics. It must be guided by a shared national vision that endures beyond administrations and election cycles,” he said.
Ruto revealed that he has received proposals outlining strategic guidelines for Kenya’s long-term transformation, which will form the basis of a broader public consultation involving all Kenyans, from notable experts, among them Kisumu Governor Prof. Anyang’ Nyong’o and Japanese scholar Prof. Hiroyuki Hino, alongside others.
He emphasised that the conversation now belongs not to the government or its authors, but to every citizen.
“Somewhere in Kenya tonight is a child too young to understand this address. Some may never remember Vision 2030. Others may never remember this conversation. But they will live in the Kenya we choose to build. That is why this landmark national conversation is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It is about all of us and the generations that will inherit the Republic we leave behind,” he said.
He emphasised that a vision worthy of guiding Kenya for the next generation is that which will forge a shared national development charter that translates constitutional aspirations into deliberate action, measurable progress, and lasting national transformation.
President William Ruto will on Wednesday, August 12, officially launch a national conversation on Kenya’s future beyond Vision 2030, describing it as the country’s first major national reflection and public participation exercise on a long-term development blueprint since the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution.
In a televised address to the nation on Thursday evening focused on the future of Vision 2030, President Ruto said Kenya’s long-term transformation must extend beyond a government policy document and instead be anchored in a people-driven, citizen-centred and future-focused national agenda.
He said the process should harness the collective wisdom, experience, imagination and aspirations of Kenyans while remaining open to the best ideas from around the world.
While acknowledging Vision 2030’s achievements over the past two decades, the President noted that several of its key targets remain unmet, saying the country has fallen short of some of the standards it set for itself.
“Vision 2030 has brought us this far, but it is approaching its horizon. It has served Kenya well. It transformed the way we think about national development, provided a common direction, inspired investment, guided public policy and demonstrated the power of long-term planning. But honesty also requires us to acknowledge that some of its ambitions remain unattained. In several respects, we are still falling short even of the very standards we set out for ourselves,” he said.
Ruto noted that Vision 2030 had set the goal of making Kenya an upper-middle-income country by 2030, but admitted the country remains off track.
“Vision 2030 set a target of Kenya becoming an upper-middle-income country by 2030. So far, we are off target. This is not a criticism of Vision 2030, nor is it a reason for disappointment,” he said.
The President said the next phase of Kenya’s transformation would focus on operationalising the Constitution’s development aspirations through an inclusive national dialogue that will shape the country’s long-term future.
He said the exercise presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Kenyans to collectively define the standards by which national progress should be measured and to establish a shared development charter that transcends political administrations and election cycles.
“National development must never be left to chance or short-term politics. It must be guided by a shared national vision that endures beyond administrations and election cycles,” he said.
Ruto revealed that he has received proposals outlining strategic guidelines for Kenya’s long-term transformation, which will form the basis of a broader public consultation involving all Kenyans.
He emphasised that the conversation now belongs not to the government or its authors, but to every citizen.
“Somewhere in Kenya tonight is a child too young to understand this address. Some may never remember Vision 2030. Others may never remember this conversation. But they will live in the Kenya we choose to build. That is why this landmark national conversation is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It is about all of us and the generations that will inherit the Republic we leave behind,” he said
