President Uhuru Kenyatta's trip to Russia on Wednesday, October 23, started to bear fruits as the European country responded by donating Ksh700 million for a project in ODM leader Raila Odinga's backyard.
According to a report by Kenya News Agency (KNA) on Tuesday, October 29, Russia donated the money to help in clearing 14,000 hectares of water hyacinth in Lake Victoria.
Dimitri Amaksimychev, the Russian ambassador to Kenya mentioned that the donation was part of Russia's support for Africa's sustainable development, Kenya's Vision 2030 and the Big 4 agenda.
"We are looking forward to partner with the government of Kenya and the UN Kenya country team to enable the country to realise the Sustainable Development Goals," Amaksimychev noted.
He revealed that the project would seek to attract private sector actors interested especially in the converted products from hyacinth, to providing inputs, equipment, finance and development of markets.
The envoy also disclosed that the overall goal of the programme was to benefit an estimated 4.5 million people sharing the lake in the five riparian counties of Kisumu, Busia, Migori, Homa Bay and Siaya.
Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa, who was present lauded the Russian government for the support it had given Kenya.
"As the national government, we are committed to supporting this partnership towards a highly impactful outcome," Wamalwa noted.
Uhuru Kenyatta was in Russia for the first-ever Africa-Russia Summit hosted by President Vladimir Putin which was attended by over 40 African heads of states including Egypt's Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi on Wednesday, October 23.
He held bilateral talks with the Russian president aimed towards cementing trade and investment partnerships between the two countries.
