President Ruto, accompanied by the Deputy President H.E Rigathi Gachagua, the Ministry of Water CS, Hon. Njeru, National Irrigation Authority Chairman Eng. Gilbert Maluki and its CEO Eng. Charles Muasya, and other leaders, opened Bura Irrigation and settlement scheme rehabilitation project headworks and promised to visit the project for commissioning in January 2024 upon completion of gravity canals.

The commissioning will mark the end of expensive pump fed irrigation system to gravity fed irrigation, saving taxpayers 10 million shillings monthly.

It will increase the amount of abstracted water from the 3cm³/s to 11cm³/s putting area under irrigation at 25,000 acres upon completion of Phase III.

The President was impressed by the impact the project will create which includes creating employment opportunities for more than 150,000 people along the value chain as well as boosting Kenya’s economy by 6.5 billion annually.

H.E President Ruto challenged locals to utilize irrigation infrastructure for food production, driving the country toward food security. 

In his address H.E the President, promised to support the Ministry of Water Sanitation and Irrigation to ensure resources are mobilized for Phase 3, which will put an additional 13,000 acres to 25,000 acres under irrigation.

In a presentation made by the Principal Secretary State Department for Irrigation Ephantus Kimotho the President was appraised of the high impact projects being done to benefit the county including Galana Kulalu Food Security Project and High Grand Falls Multipurpose Dam, among others whose technical studies are being done by a private party through PPP and aligned with government’s Bottom up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).