Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has criticized Citizen TV journalist Linus Kaikai after the journalist questioned the applicability of using Singapore as a direct model for Kenya.
During the News Gang show on Thursday, December 18, Kaikai highlighted the vast differences in size and population between the two countries.
He noted that Singapore is a city-state with a population roughly equivalent to that of Nairobi, while Kenya is nearly 800 times larger in land area.
Deputy President Kindiki Criticizes Journalist Kaikai on Singapore Model Question. Photo: Courtesy.
The DP responded to Linus Kaikai’s comments by emphasizing that Kenya’s ambitions to become a first-world country draw on development models from several Asian nations, not just Singapore.
Kindiki highlighted China as an example, noting its vast size and population compared to Kenya and pointing out the country’s rapid economic transformation over the past four decades.
He stressed that Kenya aims to achieve similar progress within a generation.
Earlier, on November 20, during the State of the Nation address, President William Ruto outlined plans to transition Kenya into a first-world nation, drawing inspiration from Singapore, Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia.
The vision includes large-scale infrastructure projects estimated at over Ksh5 trillion, funded through a National Infrastructure Fund, a Sovereign Wealth Fund, and revenues from natural resources and asset privatization rather than traditional debt or taxes.
Key projects under the plan include building over 2,500 kilometers of dual carriageways, tarmacking 28,000 kilometers of roads, completing the Standard Gauge Railway to Malaba, and constructing at least 50 mega dams alongside hundreds of smaller dams to bring 2.5 million acres under irrigation.
The strategy aims to strengthen the economy, mobilize capital, and enhance Kenya’s competitiveness in the long term.
