RE-VISIONING KENYA’S SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AGENDA FOR INDUSTRIALIZATION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

Kenya aspires to become a globally competitive and prosperous Nation with high quality of life by the year 2030. This quest began soon after independence with the realization the government needed to put in place measures to ensure rapid economic development and social progress for all citizens. A premier social policy; sessional paper no. 1 of 1965 on African Socialism and its application to planning in Kenya envisaged to spur economic growth by rapid industrialization and development of the productive agricultural sector in rural areas failed to embrace decentralized decision-making and local participation and by 1970’s the inadequacies of the economic growth & top down approaches had become apparent. In the subsequent decades, the government formulated and implemented various policies and reform measures aimed at decentralization efforts to enhance equity and faster pro-poor growth. In the education sector, the Gachathi report (1976) and Mackay report (1981) among others sought to emphasize the need for education for practical orientation and self reliance , While in the health sector the government launched its proposal for far reaching changes placing greater emphasis upon decentralized priority setting and equitable allocation of resources alongside the national development plans. In 1983, the District Focus for Rural Development (DFRD) strategy was launched with the sole aim of making the district the locus for project identification and implementation. More recently, the Economic Recovery Strategy for Wealth and Employment Creation (ERSEWC 2003) which outlined interventions and strategies for reducing poverty aimed at enhancing access to the benefits of economic growth by the most disadvantaged members of the society was formulated, culminating in the current blue –print, The Kenya Vision 2030. This paper assesses the reforms and their resultant impacts on social development in Kenya over the decades, with greater emphasis placed on the current programmes. It argues that whereas the strategy’s foundation is erected on the economic, social and political pillars, strengthening the on-going institutional and governance reforms will go a long way in raising efficiency in the production and social sectors. Data was obtained mainly from secondary sources including; sessional papers, National development plans and statistical abstracts. Discourse analysis involving a critical review of the existing literature indicates that the implementation of various development policies notwithstanding, poverty and other development related setbacks persisted. It is recommended that constructive civic engagement, cubing brain drain among highly trained technocrats, ensuring sustainable peace and tranquility especially in the neighboring countries and restoring financial discipline including curbing corruption will go a long way in guarding against depleting the much prized gusto necessary for propelling the county towards industrialization by the year 2030.