Nakuru residents have a reason to smile after the government announced plans to resume construction of the stalled Sh34 billion Itare dam project located in Kuresoi.
“We are committed to ensuring all development projects in the country are concluded. In the next two weeks we shall have completed talks on the Itare dam to pave way for its resumption,” said Ruto.
The Italian-funded project had been slated for completion by April 2021 but stalled in September 2018 after the contractor, CMC DI Raveena filed for bankruptcy in their home country, Italy.
President Ruto has in the past linked the stalling of the project to bad politics by the previous administration aimed at jeopardising development projects in his Rift Valley, turf.
Ruto spoke during a tour of Kings Sapphire project in Bondeni, Nakuru county which has 605 affordable housing units costing between Sh1.55 million and Sh3.5 million.
Ruto reiterated that politics would not stop him from taking development to areas perceived as opposition zones and urged leaders from such regions to feel free to work with him.
“No leader elected by Kenyans needs permission from anybody to work with me. We were given a mandate and ours is to ensure we improve health, housing, agriculture, water and security,” he said.
The President said that his commitment to ensuring all Kenyans are equally treated can be affirmed by the recent resource allocation to all counties for development.
“We have allocated all the 47 counties an additional Sh100 million each in grants for industrial and aggregation parks. That is the kind of politics Kenyans want to hear,” he said.