KITUI, Monday, November 17, 2025 (EAT) – A statement by President William Ruto during a development tour in Kitui County that Kenya needs “water, not rain” has ignited a national conversation, transcending social media humour to cast a spotlight on the government's capital-intensive water infrastructure strategy. The remark, which quickly became a viral meme, underpins an ambitious plan to construct 50 mega-dams at an estimated cost of KSh 1.5 trillion ($11.6 billion) to bolster food security and reduce the nation's reliance on unpredictable weather patterns.

Speaking in Kitui, the President argued for a paradigm shift from dependency on rainfall to proactive water harvesting and management. “We do not need rain; we need water for irrigation, but we are fixated on rain,” he stated, linking the concept directly to the proposed dam construction. The administration's goal is to bring at least two million acres of land under irrigation, drastically cutting the country's annual food import bill, which currently exceeds KSh 500 billion for staples like maize, rice, and sugar.

The KSh 1.5 Trillion Blueprint

The government’s strategy, articulated by the President on several occasions, including during Mashujaa Day celebrations in Kitui on October 20, 2025, envisions the construction of 50 dams on a scale similar to the ongoing Thwake Multipurpose Dam. This initiative is positioned as a cornerstone of Kenya's economic transformation and a direct response to cyclical droughts and food shortages that have afflicted the nation. According to a government announcement on October 14, 2025, the funding for this massive undertaking is expected to be sourced through a new National Infrastructure Fund, which will consolidate resources from the national budget, the private sector, and proceeds from privatization.

This plan significantly expands on previous targets. According to the National Irrigation Authority (NIA), Kenya had approximately 670,000 acres under irrigation as of early 2025. The new plan to irrigate two million acres represents a monumental leap, intended to not only achieve self-sufficiency but also to position Kenya as a major exporter of agricultural produce to markets secured through trade agreements with the European Union and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

A History of Delays and Doubts

While the vision is ambitious, it is being met with public skepticism rooted in the country's history of delayed and over-budget infrastructure projects. The Thwake Dam, located on the border of Kitui and Makueni counties and often cited by the President as a model, serves as a cautionary tale. Initiated in March 2017, the project has faced numerous postponements. As of September 2025, with the project reported to be 94.2% complete, the completion date for Phase One was pushed to July 2026, years behind its original schedule. The delays have been attributed to a range of issues, including funding gaps, compensation disputes, the COVID-19 pandemic, and even a shortage of explosives due to the war in Ukraine.

Furthermore, a July 2025 report to the Senate by Water Cabinet Secretary Eric Muuga revealed that no single mega-dam project had been completed under the current administration, citing bureaucratic bottlenecks and a rigid Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework as significant hurdles. This track record raises critical questions about the feasibility of executing the 50-dam plan within the proposed timelines and budget. A 2019 parliamentary report on the status of dams in Kenya highlighted systemic issues, including a lack of last-mile connectivity planning and financial commitments being made before land acquisition, leading to costly delays.

The Path Forward

The government's plan aligns with the National Food and Nutrition Security Policy, which aims to ensure all Kenyans have access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food. Proponents argue that large-scale water storage is the only viable long-term solution to climate variability and is essential for agro-industrialization. The successful implementation of the 50-dam project hinges on overcoming the historical challenges of project management, ensuring transparent financing, and mitigating potential environmental and social impacts from such large-scale construction. As the online jokes subside, the nation will be watching closely to see if the ambitious rhetoric translates into tangible water security and agricultural prosperity, or if the plan will be hampered by the same implementation challenges that have plagued past projects.