President William Ruto during his tour of Galana Kulalu on May 16, 2025.The President said the move will significantly boost food production and create jobs for Kenyan youth.
President Ruto reaffirmed the government’s commitment to working with the private sector through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model to operationalise the long-stalled project.
"We have two private firms, but one, Selu Company, has already set base here, ready to kick start food production in a 20,000-acre farm. Another company from the United Arab Emirates will also invest here to produce food,’’ President Ruto said during his tour of the project on May 16, 2025.
“I was in the UAE and we agreed with the President that one of their company will invest here to produce food and create jobs,” said the President of a meeting with his UAE counterpart, President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The government has awarded sections of the 250,000-acre irrigation scheme to three firms: Selu Africa Limited, Nyumbani Foundation, and Al Dahra of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Under the new arrangement, Selu Africa will cultivate 20,000
acres, Nyumbani Foundation will manage 50,000 acres, and Al Dahra will take up
the largest portion with 180,000 acres.
“This state project has taken a long time to kick off, but this time it will come to fruition. Hakuna kizungu mingi na Kiswahili mingi (no more rhetoric). We are now working,” President Ruto said.
Speaking during an inspection tour of the project’s testing phase, Ruto affirmed: “We have built a new intake that will ensure water flows to the farms, and we have agreed with stakeholders to commence production.”
The President’s visit came as the Sh519.4 million infrastructure project nears full operationalisation.
Key completed components include a 753-metre inlet canal, a 450 million-litre reservoir, a 1,210-metre outlet canal and a 20 million-litre off-take sump.
President Ruto said the revival of Galana Kulalu is central to his administration’s broader agricultural transformation agenda, which seeks to enhance food production, create job opportunities, boost value addition, and support agro-processing for export.
He revealed plans to construct a major dam near the River Tana to further support irrigation in the region, ensuring year-round farming and climate-resilient food production.
Accompanied by top government officials and private sector stakeholders, President Ruto toured the project site, including the newly completed water intake.
He also announced that cultivation by Selu Africa Limited would begin next week.
President Ruto's remarks mark a renewed commitment to
unlocking the full potential of Galana Kulalu, a project that had been stalled
for years amid criticism, bureaucracy, and mismanagement.
“This time, it will work,” the Head of State assured.
