My crystal ball into Kenya's Vision 2055

Picture this: It’s the first day of the year 2055 AD.

Preparations are underway for one of the key milestones in the life of the 160-year-old country.

The age of the country has been revised to start with 1895 when Kenya became a British Protectorate.

Kenya is to be declared a developed country eight years before the 100th anniversary of independence.

The venue is Isionya (Isiolo-Nanyuki); the new capital is connected to the old capital by a ten-lane superhighway and an electric train that reaches a top speed of 1000km per hour.

The capital was chosen because of the scenery: vast open plains with Mt Kenya in the background. The mountain got more snow after winning the battle over global warming. 

The only place you can find diesel or petrol engines is a museum. All cars are hydrogen-driven; the exhaust is harnessed for drinking water.  

Other superhighways and Standard Gauge Railways (SGRs) connect Kenya to Mogadishu, Addis Ababa, Juba, Arusha, and Kampala.

You can drive from Kenya to Kinshasa, and trips to Saudi Arabia by road through Egypt and across the Red Sea are common and popular with GenEpsilon.

Personal drones have started replacing cars.

The first trip to Mars has taken place, and the moon has been subdivided into plots for terraforming.

The first contact with aliens has also been confirmed.

The first meeting with aliens is to take place on Ceres, the most famous asteroid. Trips to outer space are the new status symbol.

My grandchildren have given me a ticket to outer space for my birthday. An app to think for us is gaining traction.

Yet creativity is the most sought-after job qualification. IQ has been replaced by CQ (creativity quotient). 

Our president is of Chinese and African descent, Qian Kamau. Children ask what tribalism and corruption are. Many struggle to explain. And Kenya’s name has been changed to The Swahili Republic. Too outlandish? 

Kenya’s population will be 88 million in 2055. Life expectancy is now 68 years and will be about 76 years in 2055.  Clearly, anyone under 38 will inherit Vision 2055.

With life expectancy going up, more Kenyans will celebrate the arrival of Kenya’s golden age. I hope to be there if I weather the storms of old age. 

We discussed in detail last week how to get there. Let me share more thoughts on the same.

One, we must accept our mortality. Many living today will not see the Promised Land. Africa would be a more progressive continent if more of us appreciated our mortality.  We would think more of the next generation and prepare Vision 2055 for them.

Shall we make sacrifices for them? I fear that some of the projects we are trying, like securitisation, could rob the next generation of their future. Mortgaging our resources has kept Africa away from progress and self-actualisation. 

Two, Vision 2055 is an intersection of hardware and software. We can paint a hardware image with roads, rails, skyscrapers or airports.

What of the software? How will the Kenyan of 2055 think of himself, his neighbours and the planet? What will be his dream beyond making money and being better than others?  Shall we have learnt to take care of one another? And that zero-sum game is old thinking? 

How much of Africa’s glorious past will remain?  Noticed how selfishness now defines our way of life? When did you last get unconditional help from someone?

Think of it: most of the problems we face in life are about software and emotions. They include corruption, discrimination, tribalism, racism, injustice, and relationship breakdowns, among others.  

Building roads, rails, or houses is easy. There are precedents, but personal problems are just that.

Why else are mentoring, counselling, coaching, and prayers more common today than in the past? Even leaders need emotional support. 

Three, what is “developed” will keep changing. Today, it’s more about the level of income.

But by 2055, Gross National Happiness (GNH) should be the preferred measure of a country’s level of development. Let’s be philosophical for once.

Whatever we do, the end game is happiness. We want to live a fulfilled and happy life. And material things are not the path to that.

Living in a leafy suburb may not make you happier than someone living on the plains. Living in a developed country does not necessarily make you happier than living in a poor country.

Driving a car does not make you happier than walking. Fast food does not make you happier than eating muthokoi, musenye, kimanga or ngwaci. We know many men and women are defined as successful by society but don’t define themselves as such. 

Someone reading this story may have shifted from poverty to affluence; they can share their happiness curve.

Think of why some “highly successful” people like musicians and movie stars end up abusing drugs or worse.

Have we defined what it means to be developed? Currently, development metrics include gross domestic product (GDP), per capita income, infrastructure, and the standard of living.

The Human Development Index (HDI) incorporates life expectancy, education, and income to assess overall well-being. It’s a better measure of development and closer to gross national happiness. 

With artificial intelligence (AI) and other innovations, even the definition of what is human could change. Are we taking baby steps towards Vision 2055?

Are our children in school? Do we have enough food and nutrients? Are we secure in our homes? Are we creating more jobs?

Are we rewarding those going beyond the call of duty? Are we rewarding innovators? What of those who reap from where they never sowed, the corrupt? Vision 2055 is a journey. What are the beacons and milestones? Have we reviewed Vision 2030?

We thought 2030 was far away. Now, 2055 is nearer than you think. Can we catalyse the achievement of Vision 2055?

Why not earlier, so that more living Kenyans can enjoy the benefits of development?

Let’s make this vision a reality.

We start by defining it broadly. It’s not just about the economy; it’s about each of us. The economy may grow, but it’s how each of us feels about it that matters the most.

It’s about the trees, not the forest.