President William Ruto has set out a major water investment plan that he says will unlock huge farming opportunities in northern and coastal Kenya, marking one of the biggest shifts in the country’s food strategy in years.
During his visit to Masalani in Ijara Sub-County on Saturday, November 29, 2025, the President said the regions have remained underused for far too long, and the government now intends to change that through large dams and new irrigation blocks.
Ruto said the centrepiece of this plan is the High Grand Falls dam along the River Tana, explaining that the project will allow counties in the arid belt to move into stable crop and livestock production. He said the new approach will help reduce pressure on the small areas of the country that rely on dependable rainfall.
"The Coast region and northern Kenya will be our next breadbasket. We will invest heavily in both crop and livestock production for domestic use and export," he said.
The President announced that the High Grand Falls project alone has a planned budget of Sh400 billion, with the government preparing more major dams in Upper Eastern, Lower Eastern and the Coast region.
Ruto said this is part of a long-running effort to collect rainwater and store it for irrigation, especially in parts of the country that have suffered long dry seasons.
He said the country cannot depend on the roughly 15 per cent of land that receives good rainfall, noting that a wider irrigation network is the only way to secure food supplies in the coming years.
"With mega dams harvesting enough rainwater and irrigating large tracts of land along the Tana and Daua rivers in ASAL regions, Kenya will produce sufficient food for both domestic consumption and export," he said.
His visit to Masalani also included the launch of the 376-unit Masalani Affordable Housing Project, where he said the initiative will bring more activity and jobs into the area.
Earlier, the President joined families and officials at a nikah ceremony for Jamila Mohamed Abdiqadir and Mohamed Nurdin Yusuf, son of Director General Noordin Haji.
At Yussuf Haji Girls Secondary School, Ruto opened a modern school block and started Phase II, which will include a dining hall. He handed over a new bus to the school and said the government has set aside funds for education facilities and bursaries across the country.
"We must invest in the education sector to build high-quality human capital through scientific research, skills development, and technology," he said.
The President said the government will set up a KMTC campus in Ijara and upgrade Masalani Level 2 Hospital to Level 5 so that residents can access stronger health services without travelling far.
He assured northern Kenya that it will receive the same level of development as other regions, saying the government is keen on fair distribution of national projects.
"I want to assure the people of northern Kenya that no part of this country will be left behind. From roads and electricity to markets and affordable housing, development will reach every corner," he said.
Ruto said long-held views that northern Kenya is low potential will be corrected through new irrigation and infrastructure investments. He added that the government’s plan for irrigation covers 2.5 million acres, with 1.5 million acres set to be developed in the North and Coast.
"Of the 2.5 million acres earmarked for irrigation expansion across the country, he said 1.5 million acres will be implemented in northern Kenya and the Coast region — the largest irrigation rollout in Kenya's history," he stated.
