Interior Principal Secretary, Dr Karanja Kibicho has said the government is banking on infrastructure development to drive economic growth.
Speaking in Kirinyaga on Friday when he led the National Development Implementation Technical Committee to inspect projects in the county, Kibicho said massive expansion of the road network and other infrastructural development will grow the economy of the country.
"We hear propositions in public rallies regarding economic empowerment through approaches that are not supported by basic infrastructure."
"If you want to empower rice farmers, for example, who have been strangled by cheap imports, lack of markets and interference of the value chain, you don’t empower them by slogans but rather ensuring that you secure the markets," he said.
The PS noted that infrastructure investments is a more pragmatic and long lasting way of securing economic benefits for citizens, compared to tokenism and other populist interventions.
Kibicho added that the government is prioritising farmers’ access to markets to boost earnings.
He noted that the government has increased investment in agricultural research and provision of implements and extension services to farmers to improve the quantity and quality of yields.
Kibicho was accompanied by PSs Prof. Paul Maringa (Transport) and Joseph Irungu (Water) in the visit that saw them inspect the Mwea Thiba Dam, which he described as a ‘game-changer’ for rice farming.
It is expected to bring an extra 10,000 acres of land in Kirinyaga under irrigation.
"This project is a perfect example of how you can improve production. You must invest and provide the farmers with the necessary infrastructure to increase production. This is why the government is spending Sh8 billion to ensure water is available for the two rice-growing seasons in a year," the PS said.
The dam stalled for years due to legal battles on land acquisition and compensation.
It is currently 64% done and is expected to be fully complete the end of November this year.
Kibicho also launched the Sh208 million Kirinyaga Cluster Irrigation Project in Kibaratani and Kithumbu that will support tomato, banana, pawpaw, French beans and green grams farming.
