In late 2025, President William Ruto has increasingly framed his developmental agenda around a vision titled the “Journey to Singapore,” aiming to transition Kenya from a developing to a developed, “First World” nation within the next 20 to 30 years. However, from an entrepreneur’s lenses there are roadblocks and potholes on Kenya’s road to Singapore. They are constructed by the letters of the word Singapore itself.
Let’s look at them:
S – Systemic Corruption: 1-in-4 people (25%) encounter a bribery situation when seeking public services (TI). In 2025, corruption inflated project costs and diverted resources from essential services.
I – Inconsistent Policy Implementation: Kenya’s World-class blueprints e.g. Vision 2030 with poor policy implementation discourages investments e.g. Procter & Gamble (P&G), De La Rue.
N – National Debt Burden: As of Dec. 2025, Kenya’s public debt is about Sh 12 Trillion representing 68% of the country’s GDP leaving limited “fiscal space” for the government’s development projects.
G – Governance and Institutional Weakness: The slow strengthening of institutions e.g. judiciary, police, and land registries leads to inefficiency and “red tape” makes it difficult for SMEs to thrive.
A – Agricultural Low Productivity: In 2025, Kenyan maize farmers got 2 tonnes/acre (3 in Tanzania and 3.5 in Zambia). Expensive inputs, high post-harvest losses, poor value addition block the road
P – Political Instability and Ethnicity: The ethnic-based political mobilization leads to social fragmentation, which discourages both domestic and foreign direct investment.
O – Over-reliance on Imports: In the second quarter of 2025, Kenya’s merchandise trade deficit widened to Sh 413.5 billion. This widening gap reduces the speed of journey to Singapore.
R – Regional Disparities: Development disparities between urban hubs and the ASALs, expensive electricity, poor digital connectivity in remote areas keeps people in poverty.
E – Education-Job Market Mismatch: The education system produces graduates who ill-fit in the job market, leading to high youth unemployment and waste of human capital
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