Former Interior Cabinet Secretary and Jubilee Party deputy leader Fred Matiang'i. /FILEFormer Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i has dismissed President William Ruto's call for a national conversation on Kenya's future beyond Vision 2030 as a misplaced priority.
The Jubilee Party deputy leader said Kenya does not need another dialogue before addressing urgent pressing concerns, including insecurity and what he described as a growing trust deficit in government.
His remarks came hours after President Ruto, in a national address from State House on Thursday night, invited Kenyans to participate in what he described as "the most consequential national conversation" since the promulgation of the 2010 constitution.
The President said the engagement would help craft a new national development vision to succeed Vision 2030 through an inclusive, citizen-driven process.
"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. Rather, it is an opportunity to proudly learn from our successes, reflect with honesty on where we have fallen short, and define, together, Kenya’s next long-term vision," the President said.
He announced that the exercise would be formally launched on August 12, bringing together political leaders, professionals, civil society, faith groups, the private sector, universities and young people to chart Kenya's post-Vision 2030 future.
Ruto said the proposed national conversation was not intended to produce another government policy document but to forge a long-term national development charter shaped through public participation.
"It is about forging a new national consensus on the country we intend to become and the standards by which we shall measure our progress," he said.
However, Matiang'i argued that the proposed conversation was "a clear case of misplaced priority" that's meant to divert attention from concerns that Kenyans have been pressuring him to address.
Matiang'i also took issue with the President's references to constitutional values, patriotism and human rights in the face of what he described as "the wanton breakdown of law and order" in the country.
He accused the government of failing to curb insecurity, claiming armed gangs had been allowed to operate with impunity.
"It is now routine for armed criminals to boldly pounce on worshippers in churches, while criminals daringly stone political leaders at rallies only to go scot-free," Matiang'i said.
The former Interior CS further claimed that Kenya's institutions had become weakened under the current administration and most of which have become inert.
In Matiang'i's opinion, that is where any meaningful national conversation should begin.
"This is where the so-called new conversation must start. Then there is the NADCO 10-point plan, the Broad-Based Government, and a legion of unfulfilled promises," he said.
Matiang'i maintained that restoring public confidence in governance and institutions should take precedence, while expressing confidence that political change would come through the ballot.
"As Kenyans, we must never lose hope. We will turn the page on 10 August 2027 and embark on a more trustworthy journey towards fixing our nation."
