President William Ruto has pledged to turn northern Kenya into a region of opportunity, assuring residents that his administration is committed to equitable development across the country.
During a visit to Masalani town in Ijara Sub-County on Saturday, Ruto outlined ongoing and upcoming projects designed to improve infrastructure, expand electricity, provide affordable housing, and modernize local markets.
He emphasised that these interventions aim to ensure no part of the country is left behind.
“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.
Ruto addressed the long-standing perception that northern Kenya is a low-potential area, noting that the government’s investments are meant to change this narrative. Central to these plans is the construction of 50 large dams and more than 1,000 smaller dams across the country, which will provide water for irrigation, food production, and climate resilience.
“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.
Among the planned projects is the High Grant Faults Dam in Ijara, which will be the largest in Kenya once completed. The government plans to develop 300 to 400 acres around the dam for irrigation, boosting agricultural productivity and supporting local farmers.
Ruto highlighted that Kenya has historically used only 15 percent of its land for food production. “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.
The President also shared that of the 2.5 million acres earmarked for irrigation nationwide, 1.5 million acres will be in northern Kenya and the Coast, marking the most ambitious irrigation expansion in the country’s history.
To improve healthcare access, Ruto announced a new Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) campus in Ijara.
The facility will train doctors, nurses, clinical officers, and other professionals to support local communities and the rollout of universal health coverage.
“We need doctors, nurses, clinical officers, technologists, professionals who will help us in the rollout of universal health coverage,” he said, underlining the importance of building human capacity alongside physical infrastructure.
