Ahmednasir Abdullahi.
Senior Counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi has backed President William Ruto’s ambition to transform Kenya into a developed economy comparable to Singapore, but warned that the fight against corruption could determine whether the vision succeeds.
Ahmednasir described Ruto as a “transformative leader” who could change Kenya for the better, saying he had no doubt about the President’s capacity to deliver meaningful transformation.
However, the lawyer argued that Ruto’s development agenda was missing a crucial component — a strong commitment to enforcing the rule of law and dealing decisively with corruption.
“The missing piece in his Singapore jigsaw is the sword to enforce the rule of law and put to the sword the thieves stealing from the Republic,” Ahmednasir said in a statement.
He argued that corruption remained one of the biggest obstacles to Kenya’s economic transformation, accusing the administration of failing to tackle the problem with the urgency required.
Ahmednasir said he had raised the issue with Ruto as early as August 2022, shortly before the President assumed office, advising him that transforming the country would require removing corrupt officials and confronting what he described as compromised elements within public institutions.
“I, for one told him right in August 2022, that to change/transform Kenya he must chase out of town JurisPESA judges and all thieves in the Republic,” he said.
His remarks come as the government advances its long-term Vision 2060, which seeks to position Kenya as a high-income economy.
The Singapore comparison has generated debate because Kenya faces a substantial gap in income, public services and economic productivity.
Experts involved in the vision have said Kenya would need exceptionally strong and sustained economic growth for decades to approach Singapore’s current income levels.
Ahmednasir, however, maintained that the ambition remains achievable if the government addresses corruption and strengthens accountability.
He urged Ruto to take decisive action before December 2026 and make the fight against corruption a genuine commitment of his second-term agenda.
The lawyer also rejected the description of Ruto’s ambition as a “Singapore dream”, preferring to call it a Singapore vision.
“His Singapore vision is still attainable if he cracks the whip before December 2026 and makes genuine commitment to fight corruption in his second term,” Ahmednasir said.