Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and President William Ruto at the launch of nationwide public consultations on the proposed Vision 2060/PCSPresident William Ruto has blamed Kenya’s obsession with elections for the country’s failure to achieve some of its long-term development targets.
He explained that successive leaders have often prioritised political survival over decisions that would benefit future generations.
Ruto said leaders have frequently been pressured to make choices based on how they will affect the next election rather than considering the country’s long-term prosperity.
The President spoke on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, during the launch of nationwide public consultations on the proposed Vision 2060 long-term development framework.
He said Kenya’s development planning has for years been undermined by short-term political considerations, with leaders reluctant to make difficult decisions for fear of losing support at the next election.
“The reason why we have not achieved some of our targets, we have made our plans not with the foresight of the future, not thinking about the next generation but the next election,” Ruto said.
He urged Kenyans to change their approach to elections and national development, arguing that political contests should not be treated as matters of life and death.
“Kenya is bigger than any elections. For far too long, we have made elections look like it is a matter of life and death. It is not,” he said.
Ruto said leaders often find themselves under pressure to abandon important policies or postpone difficult decisions because of their potential political consequences.
“I speak from a position of knowledge and experience. It is not always that you become the president of a country. I am privileged to be president,” he said.
He said serving as President had given him first-hand experience of the difficult choices leaders have to make when balancing long-term national interests with short-term political considerations.
“The pressure you have, even when you know as a leader this is the right thing to do, you are told always this will affect you next election, do not do it,” Ruto said.
The President said he had also been advised by some people to focus on the next election and postpone development decisions that could be politically costly.
“Many tell me; why can’t you concentrate on the next election? Leave this thing, it can be done another time,” he said.
However, Ruto insisted that elections should not determine Kenya’s long-term development priorities.
“I want to tell them, the next election will come and go but Kenya will remain. Kenya must think beyond the next election, Kenya must think for the next generation,” he said.
Ruto’s remarks came as the government launched nationwide consultations on Vision 2060, which is being positioned as the successor to Vision 2030.
The proposed framework is expected to provide a long-term economic and infrastructure roadmap extending beyond the current development blueprint and guide Kenya’s development over several decades.
The process is expected to gather views from citizens across the country through a people-driven National Development Charter.
