The irrigation project was announced on 22 April 2023 by the President of the Republic of Kenya, William Ruto. This was during an official visit to Meru to launch and inaugurate several development projects. In the Kenyan town, eight water reservoirs will soon be built to strengthen farmers’ resilience to drought.
The climate phenomenon is causing a decline in agricultural yields in Meru, with a direct impact on people’s livelihoods.
A $220 million project
While the Kenyan government has not yet revealed the launch date and capacity of the future dams, it indicates that the irrigation project will take five years from the start of construction. The various projects will require an investment of 30 billion Kenyan shillings, more than $220.6 million.
Kenyan President William Ruto stressed that the food security project is part of the Kenya Kwanza Agenda, a five-point programme of the Kenya Kwanza government, called ‘The Plan’. The initiative aims to make a decisive break from business as usual and pursue bold economic reforms in a coherent manner to accelerate job creation and leave no Kenyan behind in the empowerment process.
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This vision will be achieved through the stimulation of resilient and sustainable agriculture. This sector will benefit from an investment of at least 250 billion Kenyan shillings (about US$1.84 million) over five years starting this year. The Kenya Kwanza agenda also calls for the provision of Kshs 50 billion (about US$368 million) per year to provide micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with reliable access to credit, especially in various sectors. The Plan will also affect the green building, health, education and other sectors.
Inès Magoum