Kindiki defends Kenya’s first-world ambition as Singapore dream stir debate

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki during the International Minorities Rights Day aat the State House on December 19, 2025/ PCS

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has responded to recent pessimistic comparisons between Kenya and Singapore, asserting that dismissing the former’s potential based on Asian city’s small size is misplaced.

Kindiki’s statement comes at a time when Singapore, a city-state covering just 735 square kilometers, has been held up as a development model by the William Ruto - administration.  

The DP, however, stressed that Kenya’s ambitions should not be limited to comparisons with Singapore alone, pointing out that the country’s first world goals draw inspiration from multiple Asian nations, not just one.

“Pessimistic comments about Singapore being a tiny 735 square kilometer city-state incomparable to Kenya should know that Kenya’s first world ambition is modeling on a few more Asian countries besides Singapore,” he said.

“China, a 9.6 million square kilometer mega country of 1.5 billion people (compared to Kenya’s 582, 646 square kilometer area and 55 million people) is almost 17 times larger than Kenya.’

Using China as an example, Kindiki highlighted how a vast nation of 9.6 million square kilometers and 1.5 billion people transformed itself within a generation.

“China’s turning point was 1978,” he said, referring to the start of economic reforms and opening-up policies.

“In just 40 years, it moved from being poor and isolated to achieving first world status.”

By contrast, Kenya has a land area of approximately 582,646 square kilometers and an estimated population of 55 million people.

Kindiki argued that size and population should not be barriers to development, pointing out that countries of different scales have successfully pursued transformative economic agendas.

“Kenya will transition to the first world in our lifetime,” the Deputy President said, reaffirming the government’s commitment to long-term structural reforms and investment in key sectors of the economy.

The DP noted that in 40 years, between 1981 and 2020, China lifted 800 million of its citizens from poverty, accounting for 75 percent of overall global poverty reduction.

“That is roughly 200 million people lifted from poverty every 10 years. As of 2022, 20 million people in Kenya, 40 percent of the total population, live in poverty,” he added.

Kindiki expressed confidence that “it is possible to reduce this number by 10 million every 10 years, making our poverty eradication journey complete in 20 years”.

His remarks come amid ongoing national debates about development strategies and the relevance of international benchmarks.

He emphasised that while Singapore’s achievements are noteworthy, Kenya’s path to prosperity will be informed by a broader set of global examples, tailored to the country’s unique context.

The Deputy President’s statement seeks to reassure citizens and stakeholders that Kenya’s development trajectory remains ambitious and achievable, despite challenges and scepticism.

On Thursday, former Chief Justice David Maraga argued that it was “dangerous” to portray  Kenya as being on a Singapore-like trajectory, saying the foundations that enabled the country’s rise are absent in Kenya today.

He stated that Singapore’s success was not built on slogans or public relations but on discipline, integrity and leadership that treated corruption as an existential threat.

“First, ruthless anti-corruption discipline. In Singapore, corruption ended careers and destroyed reputations, regardless of rank. Ministers were investigated, prosecuted and removed without hesitation,” he said.

Maraga added that this approach was reinforced by fiscal restraint, long-term planning, a lean and merit-based government, zero tolerance for waste, and a focus on domestic wealth creation rather than exporting labour.

“Second, fiscal restraint and long-term planning. Singapore treated debt as a tool of last resort, not a governing strategy,” Maraga added.

“For decades, it ran prudent budgets, accumulated national reserves, and funded development from productivity and savings rather than perpetual deficit financing, a stance repeatedly highlighted in IMF and World Bank assessments of its macroeconomic framework.”