President William Ruto has announced the government’s intention to modernise Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) as well as the Mombasa and Lamu ports through public-private partnerships.
Speaking during the State of the Nation Address on Thursday, November 20, he said the government is also moving to resolve challenges facing Kenya Airways.
“We will onboard private-public partnership in the modernisation of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Mombasa and Lamu ports, and sort out the challenges facing Kenya Airways by next year,” he said.
Ruto also explained that the Ministry of Roads and Transport has prepared a major expansion involving thousands of kilometres of new and upgraded roads.
“To scale up our transport and logistics programme, the Ministry of Roads and Transport have already mapped out a comprehensive network of 2,500 highways for dualing and 28,000km of roads to be tarmaced in the next 10 years,” he added.
Ruto said road upgrades are already underway and outlined plans to launch dualing works on two busy transport corridors next week.
“This work is already progressing. Next week, I will launch the dualling of the 170-kilometre Rironi–Naivasha–Nakuru–Mau Summit road. On the same day, we will break ground on the dualling of the 58-kilometre Rironi–Maai Mahiu–Naivasha road. The gridlock that paralyses these roads every day, especially on weekends and holidays, will soon be history,” he further said.
Ruto also listed additional major roads across the country earmarked for dualing as part of the broader expansion plan.
“Additional roads earmarked for dualing include Muthaiga–Kiambu–Ndumberi; Machakos Junction–Mariakani, Mau Summit–Kericho–Kisumu; Kisumu–Busia; Mau Summit–Eldoret- Malaba; Athi River–Namanga; Karatina–Nanyuki–Isiolo; Makutano-Embu-Meru-Maua; Mtwapa–Malindi; Mombasa-Lunga Lunga, Kericho-Kisii-Migori-Isebania, Nakuru- Nyahururu-Karatina, Kisii-Oyugis-Ahero, the Northern Bypass; James Gichuru Road, Bomas-Karen-Ngong, Bomas-Ongata Rongai-Kiserian, Ngong-Isinya; and Naivasha-Kikuyu, among many other key corridors nationwide,” he noted.
Additionally, Ruto stated that the rail network will be expanded, with plans to extend the Standard Gauge Railway beyond Naivasha.
“This infrastructure drive will also include extending the Standard Gauge Railway from Naivasha to Kisumu and eventually to Malaba beginning in January 2026,” he declared.
At the same time, Ruto highlighted the country’s water scarcity challenges, saying only a small portion of Kenya benefits from adequate rainfall, making irrigation expansion a national priority.
“We are endowed with fertile arable land, yet only 15% of Kenya can support rain-fed agriculture – and this limited area is what we have relied on to feed the entire nation. While 85% of Kenya does not receive sufficient rainfall, if we harvest and store rainwater, we can bring vast arable lands in these arid and semi- arid regions into productive use,” he stated.
Ruto said the government aims to build hundreds of large and small dams to expand irrigation to millions of acres.
“This is why we must build at least 50 mega dams nationwide, alongside 200 additional medium and small dams and thousands of micro dams, to collect and store water, not only to secure our supply, but to bring at least 2.5 million acres under irrigation within the next five to seven years,” he added.
Ruto confirmed that specific project sites have already been identified across various counties, covering all regions of Kenya.
“The Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation, alongside all relevant agencies, has already mapped the precise locations of these dams. These projects span the breadth of our Republic; from High Grand Falls, a mega dam on river Daua in Mandera, Isiolo-Barsalinga dam, Yatta in Machakos, Sigly canal in Garissa, Soin Koru in Kisumu, Rumuruti in Laikipia, Thuci in Embu and Tharaka-Nithi, Lowaat in Turkana; Muhoya dam straddling Nyeri and Kirinyaga, Narosura in Narok and Arror in Elgeyo-Marakwet. Others include Ndarugu in Kiambu, Kokwanyo in Homa Bay, Rare in Kilifi, Tongaren in Bungoma, and many more strategic sites nationwide,” he added.
