Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has publicly challenged President William Ruto’s ambitious plan to elevate Kenya to first-world status within the next 30 years. Speaking during a church service at PCEA Kayole, Embakasi Central, Nairobi on Sunday, November 9, 2025, Gachagua accused the President of mismanaging critical sectors, including health and education, which he says are struggling to meet the needs of Kenyans. He suggested that Ruto is prioritizing his reelection ambitions over national development.
“Nchi yetu haitembei vizuri… na mimi nasikia Ruto akisema ati ako na mpango wa kufanya Kenya to be a first world country,” Gachagua remarked. He further questioned how Kenya could achieve first-world status when, in his view, key achievements in education, healthcare, and commerce from previous administrations have been undermined under the current government.
“If within three years you have reversed the progress made in education by Mwai Kibaki, disrupted healthcare systems set up by Uhuru Kenyatta, and impacted businesses, yet you tell Kenyans that you can make Kenya a first-world country how?” Gachagua asked.
Ruto’s Vision for Kenya
President Ruto has repeatedly outlined his administration’s long-term development plan, designed to transform Kenya from a third-world to a first-world economy over the next 20–30 years. Speaking on Sunday, November 2, 2025, at the African Divine Church in Gamalenga, Vihiga County, he emphasized large-scale investments in infrastructure, energy, and agriculture as key pillars of the strategy.
Ruto revealed that Ksh 1.5 trillion will be directed toward infrastructure projects, including roads, railways, and airports, while an additional Ksh 1.5 trillion will support energy development. The plan also aims to bring two million acres of land under active cultivation, transforming Kenya from a net food importer into a significant agricultural exporter.
“To raise that money, we do not have to increase taxes; we just need brains, and that we have,” Ruto stated, adding that the overall Ksh 4 trillion investment would be critical to achieving these objectives.
Despite ongoing challenges such as high recurrent expenditure and external borrowing pressures that strain sectors like education, Ruto maintains confidence in Kenya’s resources and human capital.
“We have the ideas, the plan, the people, and the resources to take this country to a first world by 2055. I am persuaded beyond any reasonable doubt that we are going to move this country to a first world by 2055,” he affirmed.
