By James Murimi - Reporter
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Kenya, July 30 ,2026 - President William Ruto has acknowledged that Kenya will not achieve one of the flagship goals of Vision 2030, saying the country has fallen short of its ambition of attaining upper middle-income status by the target year.
In his State of the Nation Address delivered at State House, Nairobi, the President said while Vision 2030 had transformed Kenya's development agenda and guided public investment over the past two decades, the time had come for the country to craft a new long-term economic blueprint to steer the next phase of growth.
"Vision 2030 has served Kenya well. It transformed the way we think about national development, provided a common direction, inspired investment and guided policy. But honesty also requires us to acknowledge that some of its ambitions remain unattained," Ruto said.
He admitted that Kenya was "off target" in achieving Vision 2030's objective of becoming an upper middle-income economy, but insisted this should not be viewed as a failure.
Instead, the President said the country should use the lessons learnt to design a fresh national development strategy capable of positioning Kenya for the next era of economic transformation.
Ruto said the government had already laid the foundation by establishing the National Infrastructure Fund to finance strategic projects and the Sovereign Wealth Fund to preserve national wealth for future generations.
He said the two institutions would provide sustainable financing for critical investments while strengthening investor confidence and safeguarding wealth for generations to come.
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According to the President, the next wave of global economic growth will be driven by Africa, presenting Kenya with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reposition itself as a regional investment and manufacturing hub.
He cited Africa's youthful population, vast mineral resources, renewable energy potential, fertile agricultural land and expanding consumer market as key advantages that could propel the continent into becoming the world's next economic frontier.
Ruto reflected on previous waves of global industrialisation that transformed countries including South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, India and Bangladesh, saying Kenya had been present during those historic transitions but failed to seize the opportunities.
He challenged Kenyans to participate in shaping a new national vision that would build on the gains made under Vision 2030 while addressing the shortcomings that have slowed the country's economic transformation.
The President said the new roadmap should be anchored on strong institutions, long-term investment, fiscal sustainability and inclusive growth to ensure prosperity is shared by both present and future generations.