The newly appointed Chairperson of the Kenya Vision 2030 Delivery Board, Ms. Carole Kariuki, has expressed confidence that the Secretariat would be able to deliver on its numerous Social, Economic and Political objectives, ahead of the remaining eight years.
With the focus now turning to the role of the private sector in delivering the objectives of Vision 2030, Kariuki urged all Kenyans as patriots to support their various initiatives under the Social, Economic and Political Pillars.
The Chairperson, who is also the CEO of the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) was appointed on July 13, 2022, to serve for a period of three (3) years.
She takes over from Jane Karuku, the Group Managing Director and CEO of East African Breweries Ltd.
Speaking after chairing her first Board meeting, Kariuki said that the private sector has been part and parcel of the Vision 2030 initiative from the onset and it informs a big part of the National Business Agenda at KEPSA.
“I therefore see my role as largely to continue the work started by my predecessors in deepening the ongoing transformation in the country, as we ensure no Kenyan is left behind in this progress,” she said.
“The private sector is the engine of the economy, thus remains the main anchor to the achievement of Vision 2030 flagship projects and other public, and private partnerships. We shall escalate our work with the county and national governments and other non-state actors in areas of policy, legislation and other interventions for Kenyans to not only see but also feel the benefits of this growth,” highlighted Kariuki.
Kenya Vision 2030 Director General, Kenneth Mwige, said Kariuki’s appointment signifies the Government’s sharpened focus on the Private Sector, which aligns with the Kenya Kwanza Administration’s priorities on the strengthening of the role of the Private Sector in Kenya’s economy.
“With the recent revitalization of the Public-Private Partnership Directorate in The National Treasury, and the passing of the Public Private Partnership Act 2021, the private sector is now expected to play its part, building on the commendable and widespread foundations already laid by the government,” said Mwige.
Nik Nesbit, the Chairman of the Capital Markets Authority and outgoing Board Director, while handing over the reins on behalf of the outgoing Chair, said he was encouraged by the zeal of the Delivery Board in doing the necessary to achieve the aspirations of Vision 2030.
“There is a tremendous amount of work left to do. As the former board, we have confidence in the Secretariat being able to deliver and we proudly hand over to the new Chairperson, who brings with her a wealth of experience in private sector leadership, to take Vision 2030 to the next level,” he said.
On his part, Planning Principal Secretary (PS), Saitoti Torome, said the Department would soon conclude the economic Medium-Term Plan (MTP) 4 (2023 – 2027), incorporating the Kenya Kwanza economic Manifesto.
“A criterion has already been designed to determine the flagship programs under Vision 2030 in the MTP. This is important as it will inform how the counties roll out the MTP, capturing areas the government has already identified for priority actions such as food security, SME credit and access to finance, affordable farm inputs, digitization of government services, as well as Universal Healthcare among others that will come on stream in due course,” he said.
Others at the event included State Department for East African Community PS, Dr. Kevit Desai and Joseph Tiampati, the outgoing Board member representing the private sector among various departmental representatives.
Kenya Vision 2030 is the country’s long-term development blue-print, which aims to create a globally competitive and prosperous nation, with a high quality of life for all citizens in a clean and secure environment by the year 2030.
The Kenya Vision 2030 Delivery Secretariat (VDS) provides strategic leadership and coordination in the realization of the overall goals and objectives of Vision 2030 and its Medium-Term plans. It also gives advisories and reports to the Government.
By Joseph Ng’ang’a
