Why Kenya will not drag itself out of poverty any time soon

A general view of Mathare Area 3C, Nairobi. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

Very often, I hear that Kenya is regional power or that we are the largest economy in East Africa or one of the largest. But surely these to me are mere conjectures because comparing us with our neighbours is not good enough. I have heard people say that Kenya was once upon a time equal to or even better than the Asian tigers like Malaysia, Singapore or even South Korea economically.