Kenya is set to mark ten years since the launch of premier development blueprint- Vision2030- a decade which has seen much investments as well as key planned installations.
The Vision was formed in June 2008, after an initial robust roll-out of the Economic Recovery Strategy for Wealth and Employment Creation (ERS) between 2003-2007 credited to the government of President Mwai Kibaki.
Most of the views contained in the ERS were ideas developed by the third president when he was the minister for planning. After the success of ERS which helped the country rise from decades of slowed economic growth, Vision 2030 was unveiled with key pillars set to achieve long term planning and ensuring the country attains middle income status with per capita income of between $1,045 and $12,736.
Various heads and directors have passed as the caretakers and midwives of the vision including the former Nyeri County Governor Dr. Wahome Gakuo, Mugo Kibati and the current chair Dr James Mwangi who is also the CEO of Equity Bank.
“Despite the challenges on its path, including the turbulence the country and globe faced – whether the global financial crisis in 2008, US interest rates or the political post-poll crises, Kenya has been able to manage the domestic and external shocks and stabilize its economy, all due to the institutionalization of long-term planning,” Dr. Mwangi noted in a forum preparing for the launch.
The Vision 2030 strategy focuses on reforms and development across 10 key sectors: Infrastructure; Science, Technology and Innovation; Public Sector Reforms; Tourism; Agriculture; Trade; Manufacturing; BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) & ICT (Information Communication & Technology); Financial Services and Education & Training.
To achieve this, the vision was divided in to three pillars namely political, social and economic pillars.
In each five years, the government has aligned its medium term projects to those set by Vision 2030. Given that a lot of budgetary allocation is gotten through donor budget-bridging, any donors have also aligned their projects to both medium term plans and Vision 2030. The country is currently negotiating the third Medium Term Plan.
Key projects under the blue print include the Standard Gauge Railway, the expansion of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Lamu Port -South Sudan- Ethiopia- Transport (LAPSSET) project. Others included the development of Konza technology city, the Isiolo International Airport and Isiolo Resort City, the expansion of Geothermal production, the Northern water tunnel in the south of Aberdares as well as private projects like Two River Mall.
As the country marks the first third, there has been tangible results both on the social and economic pillars but very little on the political pillar.
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