A section of the Nairobi Expressway. [File, Standard]
Transformational development is rarely comfortable and almost never free of criticism. Major reforms change established systems, demand significant resources and sometimes impose short-term costs before their benefits become visible.
It is therefore unsurprising that many countries we admire today encountered considerable resistance as they pursued the policies that ultimately transformed their economies.
Kenya has faced considerable criticism for its major initiatives in infrastructure, energy, dams and irrigation, ports, affordable housing, healthcare, agriculture, digital transformation, and human capital development. Scrutiny is both legitimate and necessary in a democracy.
The concern arises when weaknesses in an initiative are used primarily to discredit it in its entirety, with little attention given to how those weaknesses can be corrected while preserving a worthwhile development objective.
Successful economies, particularly Singapore, illustrate the importance of difficult decisions in land acquisition, housing, and urban development for economic transformation.
While Singapore’s aggressive redevelopment efforts disrupted existing communities and businesses, they were accompanied by significant improvements in living standards.