President William Ruto has appointed Emmanuel Kombe Nzai as the Chairperson of the Kenya Vision 2030 Delivery Board, a move seen as a bold attempt to jumpstart the faltering national development blueprint.
Nzai’s appointment, effective from July 5, was announced in a gazette notice on Friday, July 6, and marks the end of Caroline Kariuki’s tenure, which began in July 2022.
Nzai, a seasoned Public Policy expert and the founding CEO of Jumuiya ya Kaunti za Pwani (JKP), is no stranger to economic development.
His track record includes coordinating economic cooperation among Kenya’s six coastal counties, promoting regional assets, and mobilising investments for shared prosperity. His previous roles include serving as Deputy Presidential candidate for the Thirdway Alliance in 2017 and as CEO of Linkagepoint LLC in Washington DC.
Kariuki, who also served as CEO of the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), leaves behind a board struggling to keep pace with the ambitious targets set by Vision 2030.
With only six years left to 2030, an audit has revealed that Kenya is at least five years behind schedule. Many initiatives remain unrealized, putting the entire blueprint at risk.
Vision 2030, launched by President Mwai Kibaki in 2008, aimed to transform Kenya into a rapidly industrialising middle-income country by the end of this decade.
The plan, built on economic, social, and political pillars, envisioned a high quality of life for all citizens in a clean and secure environment.
However, the Jubilee administration’s shift to focus on the Big Four agenda has derailed this vision, altering the country’s developmental goals.
Despite some progress, Kenya’s real GDP growth has averaged only 4.5 per cent between 2008 and 2022, far below the target annual growth rate of 10 per cent.
Vision 2030 prioritised six key sectors: tourism, agriculture, wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing, financial services, and IT-enabled services. Yet, significant strides in these areas remain elusive.
The Kenya Vision 2030 Delivery Secretariat (VDS) is tasked with providing strategic leadership and coordination to realise the blueprint’s goals.
Last month, the government launched the fourth and final segment of the Vision 2030 plan, covering the 2023 to 2027 period. Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki announced that this segment aligns with the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) pursued by the Kenya Kwanza administration.
“The BETA Plan envisages investments in agriculture, health, housing, businesses, and the digital and creative economies to power the economic, political, and social pillars of Kenya Vision 2030,” Kindiki stated.
