President William Ruto/PCS
President William Ruto on Wednesday urged Kenyans to put the country's long-term future ahead of politics as he officially launched nationwide public consultations on Vision 2060.
He said Kenya must stop planning around election cycles and instead focus on future generations.
Speaking at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) during the launch of the consultations, Ruto said the country had fallen short of some of its development goals because leaders had prioritised elections over long-term planning.
“Kenya is bigger than any election. For far too long, we have made elections look like it is a matter of life and death. It is not, Ruto said.
The President said while elections remain important, they should not dictate decisions on national development.
“The reason why we have not achieved some of our targets is because we have made our plans not with the foresight of the future, not thinking about the next generation, but simply thinking about the next election,” he said.
Ruto said he was speaking from experience as Head of State, noting that leaders often face pressure to avoid making difficult but necessary decisions because of political considerations.
“I speak from a position of knowledge, and I speak from a position of experience,” he said.
“The pressure that you always have, even when you know as a leader, this is the right thing to do. You are always told, this will affect your next election, don't do it.”
He said he had also received similar advice.
“Many are telling me, oh, you know, why don't you concentrate on the next election, leave this thing, it can be done some other time,” he said.
Rejecting that approach, Ruto insisted that the country's future should not be sacrificed for short-term political interests.
“The next election will come and go. Kenya must think beyond the next election. Kenya must think for the next generation,” he said.
He urged leaders and citizens to adopt a longer-term outlook regardless of who is in office.
“I want to ask all of us here to think beyond any election cycle or any administration. We must think about the next generation.”
The consultations mark the formal start of a nationwide process to develop Vision 2060, Kenya's next long-term development blueprint as Vision 2030 approaches its conclusion.
Vision 2030 was launched on June 10, 2008, under former President Mwai Kibaki to transform Kenya into a newly industrialising, middle-income country offering a high quality of life through economic, social and political reforms implemented under successive five-year medium-term plans.
With several flagship targets yet to be achieved and 2030 drawing closer, Ruto announced during a national address on July 30, 2026, that Kenya would begin a "National Conversation on Kenya's Future Beyond Vision 2030."
He described the initiative as the country's most significant public participation exercise since the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution, saying it would produce a National Development Charter intended to outlive governments and election cycles before eventually being anchored in law.
The proposed Vision 2060 seeks to provide a longer-term roadmap aimed at positioning Kenya as a high-income, industrialised and globally competitive economy over the coming decades.
During Wednesday's launch, Ruto called on all Kenyans to actively participate in shaping the country's future, saying the process belongs to every citizen.
“Nobody has a monopoly of good ideas,” he said.
He described planning for the period beyond Vision 2030 as “our collective responsibility,” urging Kenyans to contribute ideas that would help realise the promises contained in the Constitution.
“We must step up. It is a constitutional responsibility to each one of us. It is an obligation to each one of us to implement the Constitution," he said.
The President said implementing the Constitution requires deliberate planning to ensure every Kenyan enjoys the rights guaranteed under it.
“Part of implementing that constitution is to figure out how we appropriate, access and avail all rights that are provided in the constitution to everybody in Kenya,” he said.
He listed key constitutional guarantees, including human rights, electoral rights, the rule of law, access to water, education, freedom from hunger, healthcare and housing.
“It is our responsibility collectively for us to have a plan on how this is going to be attained,” Ruto said.
The consultations officially opened on Wednesday at the KICC in Nairobi, bringing together more than 5,000 participants drawn from all 47 counties, alongside representatives from the Executive, Parliament, the Judiciary, the private sector, civil society, academia, faith-based organisations and youth groups.
The public engagement process is expected to gather views from Kenyans across the country as the government prepares the framework that will guide national development beyond Vision 2030.
