NAIROBI, Kenya—November 22, 2025—When President William Ruto recently unveiled his new vision to transform Kenya into a first-world nation by 2055 — anchored on a KSh 5 trillion mega-plan — he described it as a generational journey that would redefine the country’s future. It is an ambitious blueprint built on irrigation dams, expanded energy generation, modernised transport networks, and a bold push into science and innovation.
Yet behind the sweeping vision stands a growing public concern: what happened to the promises he made in 2022? As Ruto enters his fourth year in office, many Kenyans are questioning whether a government that has struggled to meet its initial commitments can realistically launch an even larger, long-term transformation.
Hanging promises
Ruto’s 2022 campaign was anchored on tangible, immediate solutions — lowering food and fuel prices, making electricity cheaper, creating jobs, easing taxes, expanding credit for small businesses, reducing government wastage, and supporting farmers more consistently. Nearly four years later, many of these pledges remain unfulfilled or only partially implemented.
Food remains expensive. Electricity costs have not dropped. The Hustler Fund has not transformed micro-entrepreneurs as expected. Fuel prices are at record highs. Unemployment remains stubborn, and tax pressure has increased through two finance laws that introduced new levies instead of easing the burden.
For citizens still struggling with daily economic pressures, the President’s new multi-trillion-shilling dream feels disconnected from the immediate realities they face.
New mega-plan
Ruto’s blueprint envisions massive irrigation schemes, large-scale dam construction, thousands of kilometres of new or improved roads, expanded rail networks, increased renewable and nuclear power generation, and a strengthened research and innovation sector with a plan to raise research funding significantly in the coming decade. He describes these as the pillars that will elevate Kenya to first-world status over the next thirty years.
The vision is modern and forward-looking, but critics argue that it rests on a shaky foundation: a trail of unfulfilled short-term promises.
Funding questions persist
To fund the KSh 5 trillion plan, Ruto proposes establishing two major financial vehicles — a National Infrastructure Fund financed by privatisation proceeds, and a Sovereign Wealth Fund supported by royalties and returns from state assets. He insists this will allow Kenya to pursue the plan without raising taxes or relying heavily on borrowing.
However, economists warn that the country’s fiscal environment remains extremely tight. Kenya is still emerging from debt distress, interest repayments are consuming a large portion of revenues, and past privatisation efforts have faced political and legal hurdles. Many analysts question whether a government that has struggled to raise funds for existing programmes — from housing to agriculture — can marshal trillions for new mega-projects.
The gap between financial reality and political ambition, they say, remains wide.
Unfinished business
The public memory of unfulfilled 2022 pledges continues to shape reactions to the new plan. Fuel remains costly. Electricity remains expensive. Affordable housing remains uneven. Job creation targets have not been met. The pledge to reduce unnecessary government spending has collided with rising travel budgets and new government offices.
All of this contributes to a trust deficit. Many Kenyans worry that the new plan may follow the same path: promising transformative change but delivering little progress on the ground.
Skepticism, political timing
Ruto’s supporters see the long-term blueprint as bold and necessary. For them, Kenya must think beyond short cycles and adopt a generational mindset similar to what powered the economic rises of Singapore, Malaysia and South Korea.
However, critics believe the timing is political. With elections approaching and economic frustrations rising, launching a futuristic national vision can shift public attention from unmet promises to future possibilities. The danger, however, is that if Kenyans interpret it as another set of promises lacking clarity, credibility, or timelines, it could deepen mistrust rather than rebuild confidence.
Highly doubted dream
The scope of Ruto’s ambition is undeniable. His plan imagines a transformed Kenya where agriculture is industrialised, power is abundant, transport is efficient, and innovation drives the economy. It is a generational idea — transformative in concept and admirable in its long-term focus.
Yet ambition alone does not erase the need for accountability. To convince a skeptical nation, the President will need to demonstrate progress on the commitments he made in 2022 — lowering the cost of living, supporting farmers, easing taxes, creating jobs, improving education capitation, and reducing government excesses — before asking Kenyans to place their faith in a 30-year, multi-trillion-shilling plan.
A first-world Kenya is an inspiring vision. But for millions of citizens today, the most urgent dream is far simpler: a government that delivers the promises already on the table before unveiling new ones.
