Why the Singapore dream is a facade - Experts

Alfred Omenya and Peter Kagwanja criticise the Singapore dream. [File, Standard] The idea of Kenya becoming Africa's Singapore is no longer a mere talking point floated by President William Ruto. It is a vision that has now received official backing from the Cabinet, following the approval of a Sh5 billion infrastructure fund and a sovereign wealth fund aimed at financing key development projects. According to President Ruto, Kenya possesses the ability and resources to replicate Singapore's success, with infrastructure transformation forming the backbone of his vision. During his State of the Nation address, the Head of State said the dream of becoming a new Singapore would be realised through mega-infrastructure projects. But why Singapore? Singapore, now a first-world country, transformed itself from a "third-world" nation into a highly developed global financial hub, characterised by advanced infrastructure, high living standards, a strong education system, and excellent healthcare. However, Singapore's success was not built solely on infrastructure. The country's rise was anchored in visionary and pragmatic leadership, a zero-tolerance stance on corruption, strategic investments in education and technology, a strong pro-business environment marked by low taxes, and a deliberate focus on human capital, trade and long-term planning. These factors collectively delivered high GDP growth, stability and prosperity. Speaking on Spice FM, experts argue that the "Africa's Singapore" narrative is little more than political advertising by a government seeking a comeback ahead of the 2027 General Election. Governance expert Peter Kagwanja described the narrative as a repackaging of earlier political messaging. "We have 2027 coming. And this is simply the repackaging of the hustler, bottom-up agenda. Now that it is gone, you need an alternative analogy, but it is made under mirage ideology," he said. He added, "The lie is that infrastructure can transform the nation and make it Singapore; that's a lie. There is no clarity on how it moves from where to where. It is not about the infrastructure; it is what it is going to carry. What we have now is government by advertisement." Kagwanja also criticised the lack of accountability and clarity on past ambitions, particularly Vision 2030. "What the President should have done is take people through where we are and where he desires the country to be. Then tell them why Vision 2030 did not work, to what extent it has worked, and then tell us what alternative we have. That should be the endpoint," he said. He further criticised the apparent shift in economic focus, arguing that the new vision contradicts earlier messaging. "If you change gear, tell people you have changed. Yesterday, we were talking about hustlers, the people at the bottom. Now we're talking about the grass tops, no longer grassroots. We've moved from bottom-up to top-down, and this top-down is not fundamentally based on our economy," Kagwanja added. Echoing these sentiments, governance expert Alfred Omenya emphasised that Singapore's success was rooted in governance rather than infrastructure. "Singapore got where it got not because of infrastructure, it's good governance: zero tolerance for corruption, meritocracy, and holding the right people accountable. Corrupt officials are removed or jailed," he said. Omenya criticised Kenya's current governance trends, highlighting tribalism and nepotism. "I wish every time our President talks about Singapore, he would focus on corruption, good governance, meritocracy, and the end of tribalism and nepotism. Right now, the trend is to put the most incompetent people from your community in charge; you couldn't even run a chicken farm like that. If people had money in their pockets, if the quality of life was better, if incomes were increasing every year, and if we could afford better healthcare and education, then we'd be getting somewhere." He further noted that Kenya's challenge is not a lack of funds but governance and strategy. "The issue in Kenya is not money; it's not raising money, we have the facilities and the ability to raise that money. Why aren't we taking stock of Vision 2030? Why are we abandoning this and now creating something else?" According to him, "If we say we want to be like Singapore, then we have to study what they do and emulate them. And infrastructure is not the only thing that makes Singapore, Singapore." Their sentiments come a day after the Cabinet approved the National Infrastructure Fund, which the government insists is its surest way to achieve sustainable infrastructure development. However, according to the two experts, because the bottom-up agenda has yet to be fully implemented, the Singapore dream remains a facade.

Why the Singapore dream is a facade - Experts

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