COALITION GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES VISION 2030 MEDIUM

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NAIROBI 001500

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/E

E.O.12958: N /A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM KE
SUBJECT: COALITION GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES VISION 2030 MEDIUM
TERM PLAN

REF: A. NAIROBI 1452

B. 07 NAIROBI 1981

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Summary
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1. On June 10, President Kibaki, Prime Minister Odinga,
and Vice President Musyoka launched the Medium Term Plan
(2008-2012) of Vision 2030, Kenya's ambitious development
blueprint outlining economic, political, and social reforms
and goals. Although it was drafted well before the post-
election political crisis, the Medium Term Plan's political
pillar coincides well with the new Coalition Government's
reform agenda, as it is supposed to make Kenya's democratic
system "issue-based, people-centered, result-oriented and
accountable to the public." Kibaki and Odinga projected a
sense of cooperation and unity, complimenting one another
and sharing the stage at the Kenyatta International
Conference Center; but the magnitude of the task ahead of
them is mighty indeed. End Summary.

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Kenya's Leaders Appear Together to Launch
Joint Strategy Document, Spur Development
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2. After weeks of rumors regarding the release of a
harmonized policy document to help focus the Government on
the way forward, the leaders of Kenya's three main
political parties appeared together on June 10 to launch
the Medium Term Plan (2008-2012) of "Vision 2030," an
ambitious development blueprint outlining economic,
political, and social reforms and goals (ref B).


3. The Kibaki government published the original version of
Vision 2030 in 2006. The Medium Term Plan represents a
harmonization of the policies of the three main parties in
the Grand Coalition government (President Kibaki's Party of
National Unity, Prime Minister Odinga's Orange Democratic
Movement, and Vice President Musyoka's Orange Democratic
Movement - Kenya). The economic platforms of the three
presidential candidates were very similar, so harmonizing
them into a single document was not difficult. The process
was important, however, as the earlier version of Vision
2030 did not have the buy-in of the Orange Democratic
Movement. The current version is more robust and
represents the shared view of the Coalition Government.


4. Speaking on the eve of by-elections in five
parliamentary constituencies (ref A),President Kibaki used
the podium to once again urge Kenyans to unite and put the
post-election crisis behind them, and assured the audience
that Kenya would complete the healing process and move on
to become a great and prosperous nation. Prime Minister
Raila noted, "Each and every one of us should see ourselves
as the agent of change that we Kenyans have been yearning
for."

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The Political Pillar: Strengthening
Kenya's Democratic System
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5. Vision 2030 is based on three pillars: economic, social,
and political. While the Medium Term Plan's Political
Pillar aims to transform Kenya's national governance system
in order to enact the development goals outlined in Vision
2030, it coincides well with the new Coalition Government's
reform agenda. The aim of the Political Pillar is to make
Kenya's democratic system "issue-based, people-centered,
result-oriented and accountable to the public," and
flagship projects include a constitutional initiative (the
completion of the national Constitution); a judicial and
legal reforms initiative (reforms pertaining to the rule of
law); a security and policing reform initiative; the
establishment of a non-partisan professional research
center to enrich Parliamentary law-making; and the
initiation of a national program on attitudinal and value
change.


6. As with many Government plans, the Political Pillar is
ambitious and not sufficiently backed by funding (septel).
However, some of the goals are already squarely on the

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government agenda (including the introduction of laws
governing political parties and electoral reform). And
unlike some of the initiatives outlined in the economic and
social pillars, the most critical ingredient to achieving
political reform is political will, not funding.

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Comment
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7. The launching of the Vision 2030 was a celebratory
occasion, and overall leaders of the Coalition Government
demonstrated a sense of unity. Only a week ago at the
Independence (Madaraka) Day celebration, the guards of
President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila publicly
fought; at this event the guards sat side by side. Kibaki
praised Raila for championing reconciliation efforts and
helping Kenya return to peace. The event was not without
episodes of partisan rhetoric, however, as Kibaki
reiterated that those who committed murder during the post-
election violence would face the full force of the law.
(Note: Odinga has made multiple public calls for amnesty
for alleged perpetrators, many of whom are supporters of
his Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). End Note.)


8. The Medium Term Plan will become the central GOK
strategy against which the Kenya Joint Assistance Strategy
(KJAS) and donor coordination efforts will be pegged. As
such, this is a very significant document and occasion.



9. Skeptics claim that the Vision 2030 may not be feasible
or sustainable, as several previous poverty reduction and
economic recovery proposals have not met their goals. On
the other hand, the shared economic goals should allay the
worries of economists who had concerns about the Orange
Democratic Movement's populist/socialist leanings.


10. The new office to watch for Vision 2030 implementation
will be the Vision Delivery Secretariat, which is supposed
to provide strategic direction for the implementation of
the Vision's ambitious goals. Their task will be
overwhelming. End Comment.
SLUTZ