Kenya: Ruto Pledges 100 Dams Through PPPs to Irrigate 3 Million Acres

By Vilenta Wakwelo

Nairobi — President William Ruto has pledged to initiate Public Private Partnerships to deliver 100 dams and in a bid to progressively increase land under irrigation to 3 million acres.

Speaking at Uhuru Gardens during the 59th Mashujaa day fete, the Head of State added that in three years, the government plans to expand the land under irrigation to 1.4 million acres citing irrigation as the surest intervention to countering food shortage.

"Irrigation is the ultimate solution in guaranteeing food security in our country. We are working on innovative investment mechanisms through private - public partnerships to construct at least 100 dams," he stated.

"Consequently, it will be possible to progressively irrigate the 3 million acres already identified as irrigable land. In the next 3 years, the government plans to double the land under irrigation to 1.4 million acres," Ruto added.

President Ruto further said that 200,000 acres of irrigable land will be allocated to rice irrigation stating that the rice irrigation schemes already have mechanisms in place which only need improvement.

"Of these, 200, 000 acres will be under rice irrigation and 500,000 under other food crops. Rice production in Bunyala, the Tana delta, Rahona in Garissa, Mwea and Ahero will take priority as these are areas that have already mechanisms for us to up - scale," he said.

President Ruto's remarks came just days after he commissioned Thiba Dam, a Sh 8.2 billion project in Gichugu, Kirinyaga County, which he said will help increase the value of food production from Sh10 billion to Sh18 billion and create more than 50, 000 jobs a year.

He added that the dam will play a vital role in tackling the national food crisis as it will diminish dependency on rain-fed agriculture and increase food production thereby adding more income to farmers.

He also said that the deliberate investment, construction and expansion of dams across the country is part his his administration's plan towards rebuilding agriculture in the country.

This article originally appeared in Capital FM