When William Ruto campaigned for the presidency in 2022, the wheelbarrow became a powerful symbol of his political message.
It represented millions of Kenyans who survive through small businesses, farming, casual work and other forms of informal employment.
Ruto’s argument was simple but politically powerful: Kenya’s economy should not only serve those who already have wealth and connections.
It should also create opportunities for ordinary Kenyans to grow their businesses, earn better incomes and improve their standard of living.
Four years into his presidency, the question has changed. Kenyans are now asking whether the economic philosophy that helped Ruto win the 2022 election can deliver the transformation he promised before the 2027 election.
This is where the President’s vision of taking Kenya towards a Singapore-style economy becomes important.
Kenya may not become Singapore within a few years, but it can learn from the country’s emphasis on infrastructure, skills, investment, manufacturing, technology and international trade.
The real test of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda should therefore be whether Kenyans can move upwards economically.
A small trader should be able to build a bigger business, while a farmer should have opportunities to process produce and access better markets.
A young Kenyan should not have to depend on casual work forever when the economy can provide opportunities for skills development, entrepreneurship and formal employment.
Similarly, Kenyan companies should be supported to produce competitively and expand into regional and international markets.
There is no doubt that Kenyans still face serious economic challenges, particularly the high cost of living, unemployment and the pressure facing small businesses.
These concerns are real and cannot simply be dismissed because the government wants to highlight its achievements.
However, the economic story should also be judged by the direction Kenya is taking.
The government has continued to emphasise agriculture, housing, infrastructure, manufacturing, digital services, exports and support for small businesses as key drivers of economic growth.
This gives Ruto an important argument for a second term. Major economic reforms require time to mature, and changing direction every five years can interrupt programmes before their benefits become fully visible.
A second term, however, should come with greater accountability. Kenyans should expect measurable progress in job creation, household incomes, manufacturing, exports, agricultural productivity and the cost of doing business.
Ruto’s strongest case for 2027 will therefore not be political rhetoric, but evidence that his economic policies are improving the lives of ordinary citizens.
If the hustler who started with a small business can grow into an employer, the farmer can become an exporter and the young person can find meaningful work, the transformation story becomes much stronger.
The journey from wheelbarrows to Singapore will not happen in one election cycle. Singapore itself took decades to build, and Kenya must develop its own path based on its unique strengths and challenges.
But the ambition matters. The wheelbarrow represented where many Kenyans were in 2022, while Singapore represents the level of economic competitiveness Kenya could aspire to achieve.
For Ruto, the 2027 election could therefore become a referendum on whether Kenyans believe his first-term reforms have laid the right foundation for that journey.
If he can demonstrate that the economy is becoming more productive, more competitive and more inclusive, his argument for continuity will become considerably stronger.
The question is no longer whether the wheelbarrow was a clever campaign symbol. The bigger question is whether the Kenyan hustler can finally move from simply surviving to building lasting wealth.
That is the transformation Ruto must deliver if his journey from wheelbarrows to Singapore is to become more than a political slogan.
