Ruto: Time to turn Northern Kenya into a high-potential region

President William Ruto in Masalani sub-county/STEPHEN ASTARIKO

President William Ruto has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to delivering inclusive development across the country.

Speaking during a development tour in Masalani town, Ijara Sub-County, the President assured residents that northern Kenya will receive equal attention in national development plans.

He emphasised that his government is investing heavily in road infrastructure, electricity expansion, affordable housing, modern markets, and other essential projects aimed at uplifting all communities.

“I want to assure the people of northern Kenya that no part of Kenya will be left behind in terms of development — from road infrastructure, electricity, affordable housing, markets, and everything else we are doing as a government,” the President said.

He noted that for many years, northern Kenya had been unfairly labelled a low-potential region, a perception he said his administration is determined to overturn through transformative investments.

He said that the 50 mega dams and a thousand other dams that his administration is going to build are meant for harvesting water, storing water, and turning northern Kenya from a low-potential area to a high-potential area.

“The government will construct 50 mega dams and more than 1,000 smaller dams across the country to support irrigation, food production, and climate resilience. These dams are for harvesting water, storing water, and turning northern Kenya from a low-potential area to a high-potential area,” he said.

He disclosed that the High Grant Faults Dam, set to be built in Ijara Sub-County, will become the largest dam in Kenya once completed. The government, he noted, is targeting between 300 and 400 acres of land in Ijara for irrigation supported by the new water infrastructure.

He reiterated that Kenya must fully utilise its land resources to secure its food future, disclosing that only 15 per cent of the country has been used to drive food production for decades.

“For a very long time, we have only used 15 per cent of Kenya to drive our food security. It is time to expand that to the rest of the 80 per cent of Kenya that has no rainfall so that we can store and harvest water and use it for matter irrigation,” he said.

He added that of the planned 2.5 million acres earmarked for irrigation nationwide, 1.5 million acres will be located in northern Kenya and the Coast region, marking the largest irrigation expansion in the country’s history.

As part of efforts to strengthen universal health coverage (UHC), President Ruto announced that the government will establish a Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) campus in Ijara. The institution will train medical professionals to serve local communities and support the national health sector.

“We need doctors, nurses, clinical officers, technologists — professionals who will help us in the rollout of universal health coverage,” he said.