Kenya on track to achieve Vision 2030 dream target
Kenya Vision 2030 Delivery Secretariat Director General Kenneth Mwige has maintained the country is firmly on track to achieve the targets of the country’s development blueprint, refuting views suggesting the dream might have fallen off target.
Mwige observed a number of development projects across the country achieved under both county and national government, are in line with the blueprint.
“Vision 2030 is very much on course. Everything the government does is in the context of Vision 2030.
It is implemented through medium term plans in 2008-2012, 2013-2017, and the current 2018-2022.”
“During the budgeting and government planning the focus is always on vision 2030.
We have 25 sectors of the economy where each sector seats and looks on what to do in the next five years. So they list what they want to do and it goes into the medium term plan.”
Asked whether the country is on track in achieving the vision in accordance with the set targets with only nine years left to the year 2030, Mwige reckoned that there was notable growth in various sectors of the economy to confirm the upward trajectory of the long term blueprint.
“We are achieving the vision. If we were in a situation where no one can see any change in any sector since the vision was launched in 2008, then you can say that the vision is dead.
But if you can see a change. If you are aware of CBC, if you are aware of the Lamu Port, if you are aware of an express road etc , then that’s an achievement,” he said.
Mwige, however, said more stringent measures to curb runaway corruption are necessary to enable smooth realisation of the dream saying that it was possible to curb corruption in the country if there was certainty of punishment against corrupt individuals.
He spoke at a forum between the Board and Kenya Editors Guild at a Mombasa hotel, where he also admitted that there has been a communication gap that has denied the public crucial information about the vision’s progress over the years.
“Despite highly encouraging and laudable progress, emerging challenges require more effective and inclusive engagement with stakeholders on how to drive the development agenda,’’ he said adding that the session with the Editors’ Guild was part of the secretariat’s strategy to strengthen public awareness on the progress of Vision 2030 Flagship Programmes and Projects.
Vision on course
During the forum, the editors demanded to know the truth about Vision 2030.
The editors were especially concerned about limited communication from the secretariat, whose website it emerged was lastly updated in 2017 amidst concerns that the growing silence could be a sign of impending collapse.
“Has the idea collapsed? Were we too ambitious for the dream? Is it time for us to go back to the drawing board and revise the vision so that we come down to our ability …in our economy, we are used to the culture of dependency and that’s why we keep on borrowing.
What is your view in terms of pushing our debt ceiling…” the editors asked.
The DG defended public borrowing terming it as necessary.
Editors Guild Council member Linda Bach said the media is willing to work with the Vision 2030 Secretariat towards achieving the dream and ensure that the youth are employed and the country does not suffer brain drain.
