The Singapore Dream: Kenya Must Learn the Full Story
In Kenya, the Singapore dream has become the most popular political slogan. From the presidency to the county assembly, from boardrooms to boda boda stages, everyone speaks about wanting to turn Kenya into the next Singapore.
But there is a problem. We admire the destination without studying the journey. We celebrate the skyscrapers, the clean streets, and the world-class airport — but we never talk about what it actually cost to build Singapore.
Who Was Lee Kuan Yew?
Lee Kuan Yew became Prime Minister of Singapore in 1959 when the country was a swampy, impoverished island with no natural resources, ethnic tensions between Chinese, Malay, and Indian communities, and rampant corruption.
By the time he stepped down, Singapore had one of the highest GDPs per capita in the world.
How? Not through slogans. Through action.
Yet in Kenya, his name is barely mentioned. We want Singapore without studying the architect who built it. That is like wanting to harvest tea without planting the seedlings.
The Pillars Kenya Refuses to Discuss
1. Zero Tolerance for Corruption
Lee Kuan Yew did not just talk about fighting corruption. He prosecuted his own friends, his own party members, and senior government officials. Nobody was above the law. The Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau was given real teeth — not the toothless bodies we create in Kenya that investigate forever and prosecute never.
In Kenya, we set up anti-corruption commissions, then underfund them. We pass laws, then ignore them. We arrest suspects on Friday and release them on Monday. Until we decide that corruption is truly unacceptable — not just in speeches but in courtrooms — the Singapore dream will remain exactly that: a dream.
2. National Unity Above Tribe
Singapore had every reason to tear itself apart along ethnic lines. The Chinese majority, Malay minority, and Indian community had real grievances and real tensions. Lee Kuan Yew made a deliberate choice: Singapore would be built on merit, not on race.
Public housing was deliberately mixed so that no ethnic enclave could form. English was adopted as the working language so no community had an advantage. Government appointments were based on competence, not community.
In Kenya, we do the opposite. We build coalitions based on tribal arithmetic. We appoint based on community. We distribute resources based on political loyalty. Then we wonder why we are not Singapore.
3. Education as the Foundation
Singapore invested heavily in education from the very beginning — not just building schools, but training excellent teachers, setting high standards, and aligning the curriculum with the skills the economy actually needed.
They did not just produce graduates. They produced engineers, technicians, nurses, and skilled workers who could build a nation. Every young Singaporean understood that education was their ticket out of poverty, and the government made sure that ticket was available to everyone regardless of background.
Kenya has the talent. We have some of the brightest minds on the African continent. But we let them down with underfunded schools, unmotivated teachers, and a system that values certificates over competence.
4. The People Did the Work
This is perhaps the most important lesson. Lee Kuan Yew provided the vision and the discipline. But the Singaporeans themselves did the work. They showed up. They built. They saved. They sacrificed short-term comfort for long-term prosperity.
There was no culture of entitlement. There was no waiting for the government to do everything. Citizens took ownership of their country. They kept their streets clean not because someone was watching, but because it was their country and they took pride in it.
In Kenya, we have become a nation of spectators waiting for leaders to fix everything. But no leader, however visionary, can build a country alone. The people must rise.
What This Means for Kericho County
The Singapore lesson applies right here at home. In Kapsoit Ward, in Ainamoi Constituency, in Kericho County — we do not need to wait for Nairobi to transform our communities.
We can demand accountability from our leaders. We can invest in our children's education. We can refuse to pay or accept bribes. We can work together across clan and community lines. We can take pride in our roads, our markets, and our public spaces.
The Singapore dream starts not with a president, not with a governor, not even with an MCA. It starts with each one of us deciding that we deserve better — and then doing the hard work to make it happen.
Stop Quoting Singapore. Start Building Like Singapore.
The next time a leader mentions Singapore, ask them: what are you doing about corruption? How are you investing in education? Are you appointing people on merit or on loyalty? Are you uniting people or dividing them?
And then ask yourself the same questions.
Kenya has everything Singapore never had — fertile land, natural resources, a young population, and a strategic location. What we lack is not resources. What we lack is the discipline, the unity, and the zero tolerance for mediocrity that turned a small island into a global powerhouse.
The Singapore dream is achievable. But only if we are honest about what it truly demands.
Let us have this conversation. Share your thoughts on what Kenya must do differently. Follow me on social media and let your voice be heard.