RESEARCH SUMMARY- VISION 2030

INTRODUCTION; 

 Vision 2030 is a long term development blue print to create a globally competitive and prosperous nation with a high quality of life by 2030 that aims to transform Kenya into a newly industrializing middle-income country providing a high quality of life to all its citizens by 2030 in a clean and secure environment. Vision 2030 consists of four pillars, the economic pillar, social pillar, political pillar and enablers and macro pillar. These pillars are discussed below. From every pillar are projects. These projects are the strategies that the government plans to deploy so that the vision 2030 can be realized. I will discuss the strategies that I think are the best.

 ECONOMIC PILLAR:

It consists of Tourism, Agriculture, Wholesale and retail trade, Manufacturing, IT enabled services (Previously known a business process of sharing) and financial services. Under the economic pillar, the government has several projects to realize the vision 2030. I have picked two important strategies (Projects) and they are discussed below: ASAL development project: The project aims to increase the area of ASAL (Arid and Semi-Arid Lands) under irrigation. It has already commenced this project, which is under the ministry of Agriculture. The government plans to put an additional 600000 hectares under irrigation for small scale irrigation and Tana delta integrated sugar project. This project will increase food production in the country, and will be a vital strategy to curb famine. Deepening of capital markets: This project aims on creating a conducive environment to fund vision 2030 through the capital markets and promoting long investments. It’s a fundamental and important project. So far the following sectors have commenced:
 -Bond market reforms
 -Automation of bond trading and maturity lengthened to 30 years. 
-Demutualization of Nairobi stock exchange has been completed
 -Development of new product and services and so on.. 
 If we see this project to completion, we will be able to create access to capital markets, raise savings and investment rates and raise stock market capitalization thus attracting more investments in the country. Other projects in this pillar include building markets, creation of producer business groups among others. 

 SOCIAL PILLAR:

It consists of Education and training, Health, Environment, Housing and urbanization, Gender, Children and social development and Youths and sports. The projects/strategies I that I thinks that are very important are discussed below. Under the social pillar, a project known as “channel funds directly to health facilities” caught my attention. Recently in the country there have been incidents where medicine and drug supply is a problem. Many hospitals are not well equipped and the equipment they use is out of date. This project is aimed at allowing funds to be directly channeled to heath facilities. Another strategy under this pillar is that the government plans to construct and equip secondary schools, expand and rehabilitate existing schools and the construction and rehabilitation of at least one boarding primary school in each constituency in Arid and semi Arid areas. Education is a vital ingredient in the making of the soup of social growth as well as economic growth. The objective of these projects is to address the inadequate physical facilities at secondary school level and increase of the enrollment rates and ensure equity in the disadvantaged areas respectively. Just to explore more on the construction and rehabilitation of at least one boarding primary school in each constituency in Arid and semi Arid lands project: To rehabilitate, expand and equip a single stream boarding primary school, Ksh 42 million is required. This will be used to rehabilitate, expand and equip classrooms, administration block, playfield, fencing and gate, three 90-bed dormitories, 10 toilets, 5 teachers’ houses, Dining Hall, kitchen, library/book store and two large water tanks.

 

 POLITICAL PILLAR:

This consists of the rule of law- (The Kenyan constitution 2010), Electoral and political processes, democracy and public service delivery, transparency and accountability, security, peace building and conflict management. Political success is important in every country. The people in a country determine the leaders that will enable them to achieve the goals set for that particular country. Constitutional reform project: The project is aimed at finalizing the national Constitution together with its enabling legislation. So far, legislations have been enacted in the areas of judicial reform, electoral reform, internal security reform, public service reforms, promotion and protection of human rights, public finance, and aspects of the devolved system in an effort to operationalize the 2010 Constitution. Kenya will benefit from this strategy by National governance reforms based on the Constitution, which was chosen by the people of Kenya. Truth, justice and reconciliation commission: This is An independent Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission which has been formed to inquire into human rights violations. In the 2007 post election violence, human rights were violated. Many people suffered a fate which wasn’t of their making, and the justice process was painfully slow. This commission will see that such acts will not be seen again. The commission plans to address all historical injustices and promote peace, justice, healing, reconciliation, inculcate national values and consequently national unity among the people of Kenya.  

ENABLERS AND MACRO PILLAR:

It consists of the foundation of vision 2030, macroeconomics, energy, science, Technology and innovation, land reform, human resource development, security and public sector reforms. I will discuss Energy and security because I feel they are the best strategies in this pillar.
 Energy: The objective of this project is to increase national power generation, provide the energy required to accelerate growth and mobilize private sector capital for generation of electricity from renewable energy. It’s a strategy that will properly deal with time to time power interruption. It will also see that the whole country gets electricity, especially the rural areas which will enable these areas to grow and develop like their urban brothers.

  PROJECT COMPONENTS 

• Olkaria 1 – 140 MW Geothermal Power Project
 • Olkaria II – 35 MW Third Unit • Olkaria III - Additional 85 MW Geothermal Power Plan
 • Olkaria IV - 140 Mw Geothermal Power Plant • Menengai 1000MW Geothermal Project, installation of well head units; and Construction of a 140Mw pow 
• Dongo Kundu Coal fired Plant 600 Mw
 • Kiambere Unit 1 Upgrade from 72 to 82 Mw)
 • Tana Hydro Power Station Upgrade by 10MW to 20 MW
 • Ngong Wind Plant – 5 MW • 120 Mw Medium-Speed Diesel Plant Built at Kipevu 
• Sangoro Hydro-Power Station – 21Mw
 • Kindaruma Unit 3 - 32 Mw. and rehabilitation
 • Athi River Mining Coal Power Station 19 Mw
 • Wind Power Station Built at Lake Turkana - 300 Mw
 • Ngong I Wind Phase II – 6.8MW 
 • Ngong II Wind – 13.6 MW 
 • Eburu 2.3 MW Geothermal
 • Wellhead Generators 
  Security: This project involves the establishment of a security data centre to accelerate the sharing of information across all security and policing agencies. So far Data Centre is 40% complete, with a view to link the police data centre with IPRS system within the Ministry of State for Immigration and Registration of Persons. The data centre is also aimed to be linked with the traffic police systems. Security has been a big thorn in the elephant’s foot as far as I am concerned. This strategy is such a good idea because all security information will be linked and it will be of great benefit to Kenyans because security threats willbe minimized with a big fraction.

  ASSESSMENT OF VISION 2030: KENYA’S GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES 

A key question that a growth strategy for Kenya cannot avoid is: what are kenya’s key growth opportunities that successive political and policy regimes have not successfully exploited? A great opportunity that the country has and which can be exploited in a growth strategy is its location. The country has access to a large coastline and can therefore adopt a coastal manufacturing strategy. This would drive export-led growth. A development policy document should therefore take cognizance of these growth opportunities for the country. In our assessment, vision 2030 seems to have achieved this.

 VISION ASSESSMENT 

The vision 2030 development was quite consultative and comprehensive, and therefore covered the key issues facing Kenya. Relevant policies for consolidating economic recovery and driving Kenya to a higher growth and development path have therefore been brought forth.

 CONCLUSION: 

Despite the gaps that have been observed, we are of the view that vision 2030 can deliver the growth and development that Kenya aspires to achieve, albeit with some delay given the global economic crisis and uncertainty about the timing of recovery. Its success will, however, depend on maintaining macroeconomics stability and implementing key structural reforms and programmes in the social pillar, and managing political transitions and reform of institutions targeted by the political pillar of the vision document. The recommended reforms of the pensions sector, insurance industry, capital markets and strengthening of the banking sector as spelt out in the vision 2030 will be critical in allowing the country to achieve this shift, as these are the sectors critical in the mobilization of savings.  

REFERENCES:

• Government of Kenya, Ministry of planning and National Development, 2007, Kenya vision 2030. 
• Government of Kenya, ministry of Planning and National development, 2003, Economic recovery Strategy for Wealth and Employment Creation.  
• Google Kenya, Vision 2030 prospectives. 
• World bank, 2003, African Development Indicators