Economist Erick Mutwiri, who is eyeing the North Imenti parliamentary seat in 2027. Photo by Dennis Dibondo. 
By Dennis Dibondo.
Kenya has entered a crucial moment in its development journey, and the decision to begin shaping a new long-term national development vision should be welcomed as an opportunity to redefine the country’s aspirations and chart a more sustainable path to prosperity.
According to Meru opinion leader and economist Erick Mutwiri, who is eyeing the North Imenti parliamentary seat in 2027, the proposed Vision 2063 comes at the right time as Kenya approaches the end of Vision 2030.
“We are almost done with Vision 2030, and we are looking forward to Vision 2063,” Mutwiri says, describing the initiative as the beginning of a new national conversation.
For Mutwiri, a long-term development vision should not be viewed through the lens of political administrations. Rather, it should provide a national framework within which successive governments, counties, the private sector and citizens can pursue shared development goals.
He argues that the Constitution already provides a strong foundation for public-sector planning and governance, particularly through devolution. A new national vision, he says, should therefore provide a framework for counties to align their development plans with broader national priorities.
The timing is particularly important because Vision 2030 has only a few years remaining. Kenya therefore needs to prepare early rather than wait until the current vision expires before beginning another development cycle.
Mutwiri also believes Vision 2063 should be anchored within the wider African development agenda, particularly the African Union’s Agenda 2063, while taking into account the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
This alignment would ensure that Kenya’s development plans are not isolated from continental and global aspirations, but instead position the country to take advantage of emerging opportunities in trade, technology, education, manufacturing, agriculture, infrastructure and innovation.
However, the real question is not simply whether Kenya has achieved the targets contained in Vision 2030, but whether those achievements have translated into meaningful improvements in the lives of ordinary citizens.
Mutwiri notes that while an assessment of Vision 2030 may show significant progress against its targets, the impact of that progress must also be interrogated.
Vision 2030 was built around three broad pillars — economic, social and political. Mutwiri argues that although Kenya has made notable progress in the political pillar, particularly through the introduction of devolved government under the 2010 Constitution, significant gaps remain.
Devolution has fundamentally changed governance by bringing decision-making and resources closer to the people. Yet Kenya continues to struggle with personality-driven and tribal politics at the expense of issue-based political competition.
The social pillar also presents unfinished business. Mutwiri points to education as one area where the country has yet to fully realise the aspiration of universal and accessible education from the early years through higher education.
The greatest challenge, however, may be economic.
Kenya had envisioned an economy capable of achieving annual growth rates of about 10 per cent under Vision 2030. Yet actual economic growth has generally remained significantly below that ambition, leaving the country with considerable ground to cover.
This gap raises an important question for the architects of Vision 2063: How do we move from ambitious targets on paper to measurable improvements in household incomes, employment, productivity and living standards?
That question must be at the heart of the new vision.
Most importantly, Vision 2063 should transcend electoral cycles. Kenya will enter another election year in 2027, but national development cannot be suspended every five years as political contests take centre stage.
A credible long-term vision should survive changes in government and provide continuity in national planning.
As Mutwiri puts it, the proposed vision should not be about President William Ruto or whichever administration takes power next. It should be about Kenya’s long-term progress.
This is perhaps the most important principle that should guide the Vision 2063 conversation.
Kenya has developed numerous plans and visions over the years, but implementation has often been undermined by corruption, wastage of public resources, weak accountability and poor project management.
Unless these challenges are confronted, even the most ambitious development blueprint risks becoming another collection of impressive targets that fail to transform the lives of citizens.
The experience of the proposed Isiolo Airport is a case in point. For the people of the wider Meru region, a fully operational airport could open enormous opportunities by facilitating tourism, trade, investment and the transportation of agricultural produce to domestic and international markets.
Such projects demonstrate why development planning must ultimately be measured by their impact on communities.
Vision 2063 should therefore be more than a government document. It should become a national compact — one that reflects the aspirations of ordinary Kenyans and establishes clear, measurable and accountable pathways towards prosperity.
The conversation must begin now, involve citizens at every level and remain bigger than politics.
If Kenya gets the planning right today, Vision 2063 could provide the foundation for a more productive, inclusive and prosperous country for generations to come. If we delay, however, we risk repeating the shortcomings of previous visions.
The time to define the Kenya we want in 2063 is now.
