Kindiki: Water projects will be biggest beneficiaries of National Infrastructure Fund

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has said water projects will be among the biggest beneficiaries of the Sh5 trillion proceeds to be realised from the National Infrastructure Fund (NIF).

The Deputy President said part of the money will fund at least 50 mega dams and 200 mid-sized dams, among other water projects, some of which have been delayed for over 30 years.

“The water sector will be among the biggest beneficiaries of the resources raised through the Fund as the country seeks to raise the nation’s water connectivity above the present 76 percent,” Prof Kindiki said.

Prof Kindiki noted that water is at the centre of agricultural transformation and is also important in manufacturing due to its industrial uses.

“The coming into force of the Infrastructure Fund will help us in a big way in these sectors,” Prof Kindiki said at his Harambee House office when he received a status report on ongoing water projects across the country in a briefing by Water CS Eric Mugaa.

He termed the Infrastructure Fund as a game changer, noting that for every shilling invested in the Fund, the government will leverage another ten shillings.

“We are at the tail end of its operationalisation because the law is in place and now we have the seed money,” Prof Kindiki said.

The fund was set up following the passage of the National Infrastructure Fund Bill, 2026, by the National Assembly in March this year.

Through the fund, the government wants to mobilise up to Sh5 trillion by crowding in private capital by leveraging up to Sh10 for every shilling invested.

President William Ruto sees the fund as a pathway to make Kenya a first world country.

Through the National Infrastructure Fund, President Ruto said all privatisation proceeds will be ring-fenced and invested strictly into public infrastructure development that generates and preserves value.

President Ruto said that, unlike in the past, when privatised major assets such as Kenya Airways, KenGen, Kenya Re, and Safaricom, yet the proceeds were absorbed into the budget, paying salaries and debts, leaving no enduring national assets behind.

The Deputy President was also briefed by government officers from the Ministry of Roads and Infrastructure, led by Cabinet Secretary Davies Chirchir, on the ongoing road and infrastructure projects.

Prof Kindiki said that over 270 billion shillings has been paid to contractors in the last year as the government accelerates completion of 8,000 kilometres of road projects across the country.

He also noted that the modernization of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 155 billion shillings has commenced in earnest and targets a massive upgrade and expansion of the country’s biggest entry point.

“Our confidence levels as a country in responding to the needs of the country on infrastructure are higher than before. It is the first time we are taking part in the government’s stakes in some of these investments and using them to solve crucial public challenges standing between us and first-world status,” Prof Kindiki said.

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