Construction of the stalled Itare dam in South Rift will resume this September after the government allocated funds to the project in the current budget, Government Spokesman Dr Isaac Mwaura has said.
Dr. Mwaura said this was part of government efforts to build over 100 water dams over the next five years, even as it aimed at enhancing access to clean and safe drinking water.
Speaking in Nakuru, when he led a delegation of State Officials on a tour to establish the status of government-funded projects in the devolved unit, the Spokesman indicated that the project would create over 3000 jobs with locals, 70 per cent of which would go to the locals.
In March, the Cabinet gave the Treasury the nod to enter into Alternative Dispute Resolutions (ADR) with the contractors of three dams, including Itare, Arror, and Kimwarer.
Once completed, the Itare Dam will have the capacity to hold 27 million cubic metres of water and produce 100,000 cubic metres of water per day for Nakuru residents and beyond. It will benefit the residents of Kuresoi, North and South; Molo and Njoro Sub-counties; as well as Nakuru City and its environs.
Dr. Mwaura said that the construction of the Itare dam stalled at 11 per cent in terms of civil works and was 27 per cent complete overall.
“President William Ruto engaged the Italian government on this project that they were funding, and we are glad that the project is set to resume. We have been talking to the people on issues of way-leaves and land compensation that the government will take care of,” noted the spokesman.
While appreciating the importance of the project to residents of Nakuru and its environs, Dr. Mwaura indicated that once the project commences, no hitches would be expected.
“We are looking into ways of supporting the contractor through the supplementary budget to seek out the compensation and way-leaves as the contractor works on the dam and main trunk,” he noted, adding that the community would be supported to back up the conservation efforts to sustain the water flow.
The contractor, the spokesman said, will work on the main trunk as the government works on reticulation through the last mile connectivity to homes and businesses around the county to satisfy the demand of 80, 000 cubic metres of water, with the surplus expected to reach Naivasha.
The national government, he added, was committed to fast-tracking infrastructure projects in Nakuru.
This would be achieved through the National Government Development-County Implementation, Coordination, and Management Committees (NGD-CICMC).
According to Dr. Mwaura, the government desires to complete megaprojects as quickly as possible to realise their full potential in supporting the economy.
The spokesman was optimistic that the over 90 government-funded projects in Nakuru had helped create new jobs, opened up opportunities for traders, and boosted the local economy.
Dr. Mwaura said the infrastructure projects traversed an area where, manufacturing, housing, agriculture, and tourism were the main economic activities.
“As the government, we are determined to speed up the delivery of major infrastructure projects so that they support the government’s ambitions for economic growth and improving connectivity and transport links,” he said.
Dr. Mwaura disclosed that the state was collaborating with the Nakuru County Government to boost pyrethrum growth by ensuring that at least 30,000 of the current 4000 acres of land are put under the crop in the region within the next two years.
He said this is part of the strategy to fully revive pyrethrum growing, adding that 12 million seedlings have been distributed to farmers in all the sub-counties where the cash crop is grown.
He said other strategies included the provision and distribution of enough quality seedlings to farmers, providing necessary resources and incentives, and training more extension officers.
“The impact of pyrethrum farming on the livelihoods of the County residents has been phenomenal. With farmers producing an average of 600 kg per acre of dry flowers monthly, the average income stands at Sh180,000. This has been achieved with minimal production costs, which has made pyrethrum farming an economically viable investment,” stated the spokesman.
Dr. Mwaura said the government has embarked on an ambitious bid to promote the growth of sunflowers in the country to reduce the import bill for edible oils and lower the prices of cooking oil in the country.
Kenya spends at least Sh160 billion annually to import edible oils from other countries, mainly south eastern Asian countries.
In its bid to bridge the gap, Dr. Mwaura said 15 tonnes of sunflower seeds have been distributed to farmers, with 24 counties being earmarked to boost local crop production.
By Anne Mwale
