I must admit that I sometimes like President William Ruto’s imagination. It is refreshing to hear President Ruto speak boldly about the transformation of our country. His articulation of a dream in which Kenya becomes a developed country like Singapore within the next few years should not be taken lightly. Nations and even individuals do not move forward without dreams. What I know is that no society ever transformed itself by thinking small. I have learnt this through the study of the entire collection of John Maxwell’s works, including the most fundamental works: Success is a Choice and Change Your World.

Dreaming, however, is only the first act. History has taught me that dreams remain dreams unless they are accompanied by a clear, painful, and deliberate roadmap and conviction. In the same vein, vision without a strategy is poetry for its own sake. To speak of Kenya becoming the Singapore of Africa is to invite a deeper and uncomfortable conversation. We have to ask what development truly requires and what we are prepared to change about ourselves to get there.