Lead image for To succeed, Kenya must prepare today for tomorrow’s challenges.
Questions have recently been raised across the country about why the Government has begun preparing a post-Vision 2030 national development framework, currently referred to as Kenya Vision 2060, while Vision 2030 is still being implemented.
Kenyans from across society — including professionals, politicians, academics, private-sector players, civil society organisations, development practitioners, youth groups, faith-based organisations and ordinary citizens — have been asking: Why now?
Perhaps the more important question is whether Kenya has ceased to be a planning society. Successful nations plan continuously for their future. Strategic planning is not about waiting for an existing plan to expire before preparing its successor.
It is about anticipating emerging opportunities and challenges and ensuring that institutions are prepared to respond.
Governments therefore need not wait until the end of a national strategy to begin developing the next one. Long-term planning allows countries to build continuity, align policies and investments, and prepare for changes that may take years to materialise.
The practice is neither unusual nor unique to Kenya. Many countries develop successor national visions well before existing ones end.
Singapore, for instance, has undertaken long-range scenario planning for decades through the Centre for Strategic Futures in the Prime Minister’s Office. Finland has institutionalised long-term planning through its Parliamentary Committee for the Future and regular government reports on future challenges.
The United Arab Emirates launched UAE Centennial 2071 in 2017, more than 50 years before its target date, while Vision 2021 was still being implemented. The long-term vision has since been complemented by intermediate strategies such as We the UAE 2031.