Ruto unveils strategies to make Kenya a first-world country
President William Ruto has pledged sweeping reforms, saying his administration will soon submit to Parliament a comprehensive plan meant to fast-track Kenya’s journey toward becoming a developed economy in the coming decades.
Speaking on Sunday, November 2, 2025, at the African Divine Church in Gamalenga, Vihiga County, Ruto said the proposals will outline the government’s long-term strategy to elevate Kenya from a third-world to a first-world economy through large-scale investments in infrastructure, energy, and agriculture.
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“We have the plans and the vision to change this country from a Third World country to a First World country. It is possible to take this country to that level in our lifetime, in about 20 to 30 years,” the Head of State said.
Also watch: Ruto says Kenya has the potential to be a first-world country.
The president said the country requires Ksh1.5 trillion for infrastructure projects, including roads, railways, and airports, and an additional Ksh1.5 trillion for energy development.
Moreover, Ruto said it will be directed toward agriculture, with a goal of bringing two million acres of land under active cultivation.
“To raise that money, we do not have to raise taxes; we just need brains, and that we have,” he emphasised.
Ruto estimated that Ksh4 trillion would be needed overall to shift Kenya from being a food-importing nation to a net exporter of agricultural products.
“We need to deal with the challenge of infrastructure. Ksh4 trillion is possibly the money we need to be able to move our nation from importing food to exporting products. To raise that money, we do not have to increase taxes,” he said.
Ruto’s Kenya dream?
This is not the first time the president has revealed his plan to make Kenya a first-world nation. On October 12, 2025, Ruto said that Kenya will transition from a developing nation to a first-world nation by the year 2055.
He said his administration’s focus is on key sectors such as housing, healthcare, education, and agriculture, which he believes will form the foundation for economic growth and sustainable development.
“I want to say this in church that by God’s grace, we have been in the third world for far too long. We have had our fair share, and it is now time, by God’s grace, the efforts of our hands, the blessings of our plans, and the energy and unity of the people of Kenya, to move this country from a third-world to a first-world country in the next 30 years,” he said.
This comes as the country continues to grapple with the effects of external borrowings and high recurrent expenditure, which snarls operations in key sectors such as education.
But the Head of State insisted that he has a clear plan and vision to improve the living standards across the country and bolster the economy.
Ruto is convinced that Kenya has resources, ideas, and human capital to be one of the developed countries in the world.
“We have what it takes, 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 stated.
