Water Cabinet Secretary Eric Mugaa has stated that none of the 100 mega dam projects promised by the government has been completed to date.
Speaking when he appeared before the Senate plenary, Mugaa said the projects have slowed down because of financial challenges.
He explained that the bulk of these projects were designed to be delivered through public-private partnerships (PPPs), but the water sector has struggled to attract private investors due to low returns.
The CS, however, noted that several dam projects are currently under construction.
“Most of the large dams were scheduled to be implemented under public-private partnerships. Unfortunately, investments in water have not been very lucrative; our tariffs do not cover the costs.
“Water infrastructure is not cheap; it is capital intensive,” Mugaa said.
Mugaa’s remarks echo a similar admission by his predecessor, Alice Wahome (now Lands CS), in August 2023.
She said the ministry was facing growing difficulties in implementing President William Ruto’s pledge to deliver 100 mega dams due to limited financial resources.
Mugaa said that although a few large dam projects are ongoing, including Bucha, Fauci, and Um, none have reached the completion stage.
“For large dams, we have not completed any of them,” he told the Senate.
The CS further promised to provide a list of small dams that have made progress and could offer a more conclusive picture.
President William Ruto pledged to construct 100 large dams in the country to boost water harvesting for agricultural purposes.
This was part of his administration’s plans to shift the country from over-dependency on rain-fed agriculture to irrigation in order to enhance food production.
Kenya has previously experienced cyclic droughts leading to a significant shortage of food and pasture.
“We will also construct more small capacity dams because we want to harvest water at every level so that we, the citizens, can have water for domestic use,” Ruto said.
