President William Ruto speaks during the launch of Beyond 2030 national conversation at the KICC, August 12, 2026. /PCSPresident William Ruto has defended the Beyond 2030 national conversation, saying it fulfils the constitutional requirement for public participation in the formulation of national policies and development plans.
Speaking on Wednesday during the launch of the national dialogue at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, Ruto said the 2010 Constitution makes public participation mandatory.
“It is important that we engage in this conversation in the context of a new constitution, a new constitution that does not request us to consult the people, no. It is mandatory,” he said.
Ruto said the national conversation provides an opportunity to develop a long-term roadmap for Kenya beyond Vision 2030, with the views of citizens across political and social divides informing the country's development priorities.
He said the goal was to build consensus around a development trajectory that would transform Kenya into a first-world, developed economy by 2060.
The President attributed some of the shortcomings associated with Vision 2030 to the limited public participation in its formulation, noting that the blueprint took off two years before the promulgation of the current Constitution.
Vision 2030 was officially launched on June 10, 2008, under former President Mwai Kibaki.
The 2010 Constitution subsequently established public participation as a key principle of governance.
“Therefore, we have an opportunity this time round, different from the opportunity that was in 2008, to formulate a long-term plan - one that is done by the people not by the government, not by bureaucrats - by the people themselves,” Ruto said.
President William Ruto speaks during the launch of Beyond 2030 national conversation at the KICC, August 12, 2026. /PCS
The President urged Kenyans to use the dialogue to identify areas where the country fell short in implementing its previous development blueprint and determine priorities for the decades ahead.
“We want to pick the minds of everybody - the farmers, entrepreneurs, students, technocrats - everybody. Let them tell us what kind of future that we all want to think about,” he said.
The Beyond 2030 conversation comes as Vision 2030 faces scrutiny over implementation gaps and delays in some flagship projects, including Konza Technopolis.
While announcing the launch of the national conversation last week, Ruto credited Vision 2030 with providing a strong long-term development roadmap for Kenya, but said it fell short of achieving some of its targets.
The dialogue will now move from the national launch at KICC to public participation forums across all 47 counties and different sectors.
The forums are expected to gather views from citizens and stakeholders to shape a long-term national development roadmap extending beyond 2030 and targeting first-world economic status by 2060.
