President William Ruto announces resumption of construction of Arror, Kimwarer dams

President William Ruto has announced that the Arror, Kimwarer, and Itare dams' construction will resume after being subject to court cases.

This announcement was made after discussions with Italian President Sergio Mattarella during his four-day visit to Kenya.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Ruto revealed that the governments of Kenya and Italy had agreed to withdraw the arbitration cases against the three dams. The construction is expected to resume within a few months.

"I’m proud to announce that the three dams which were subjected to court cases and court matters, we should be able to go on with the construction of these three dams in a few months," he said.

Kenyan President William Ruto and Italian President Sergio Mattarella at State House on March 14 Pulse Live Kenya

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Ruto further disclosed that the two countries have committed to establishing cooperation on other water and sanitation programs that are critical to Kenya's agenda on food security, delivery of water, and climate action.

The Kenyan government had contracted Italian firm CMC di Ravenna to construct the dams.

In September 2019, the then-President of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, terminated the Kimwarer dam project after an inquiry reported that it needed to be more feasible technically and financially.

Kenyan President William Ruto and Italian President Sergio Mattarella at State House on March 14 Pulse Live Kenya

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However, Kenyatta gave the green light for constructing the Arror dam project after his technical committee report deemed it economically viable at half the original cost.

The dams are crucial in the country's development, as they will aid in water and food security and hydroelectric power generation.

Kenya to receive Sh13.9 billion loan for development projects

Ruto disclosed during the conference meeting that the country would receive a Sh13.9 billion loan from Italy for development projects across the country.

Kenyan President William Ruto and Italian President Sergio Mattarella at State House on March 14 Pulse Live Kenya

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He further explained that the amount would come in the form of grants, and soft loans would provide much-needed support in critical sectors such as agriculture, the development of MSMEs, housing, and health.

"Other projects include the digital superhighway and the creative economy," he said.

Ruto recently pledged to provide an Italian energy company, Eni Spa, with up to 300,000 acres of land in marginal areas of the country to produce biofuels.