Water Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome, on Wednesday, August 2, stated that it was becoming increasingly hard to deliver on President William Ruto’s promise to build 100 mega-dams across the country.
Appearing before the Senate, CS Wahome confessed that her ministry was finding it hard to complete some of the projects due to financial constraints.
CS Wahome made the revelation while responding to inquiries from Meru Senator Murungi Kathuri. The senator had sought clarification on the timeline for the dam construction in his county.
Additionally, the legislator wanted to find out whether the government intended to fulfill its promise of digging boreholes and water pans, which had been made by the President.
“The money that was going to pans and boreholes is some of the money that I lost during austerity measures,” the cabinet secretary lamented in reference to the government's recent cost-cutting initiatives.
Wahome revealed that the austerity measures instituted after Ruto assumed office made her office lose a budget of Ksh5 billion in the 2022/2023 financial year. Her ministry lost a further Ksh1.5 billion in the 2023/2024 financial year.
“I hope that is the last I lose. I hope to gain that during discussions with parliament at the supplementary stages,” CS Wahome added.
Despite the challenges posed by the budget cuts, CS Wahome remained optimistic, stating that not all was lost for Ruto's ambition.
“I invite the Senator and Meru County leadership so that we can look at which dams should take priority,” she stated.
The CS further revealed that the government is exploring Private-Public Partnerships (PPSs) to ensure some of the stalled dams get much-needed funding.
Amid the austerity measures introduced by the Head of State, the Cabinet Secretary did not reveal how many dams the government would construct.
Ruto Promise
Contrary to the Cabinet Secretary's statements, President William Ruto on the same day reaffirmed his administration's commitment to fulfilling the promise of building dams during a live address to the nation.
He asserted that the government had already taken concrete steps towards this goal by advertising for the construction of the first 33 dams.
"Our stretch is to do 100 mega dams. To do close to 1,000 small dams. Close to 3,800 water pans across the country," President Ruto stated.
In his address, the President went even further, stating that CS Wahome and senior officials at the Ministry of Water were actively involved in working on the project.
