President William Ruto has directed the Ministry of Water and Sanitation and the contractor working on the Thwake Dam project to complete the Ksh82 billion infrastructure by April 2027 after the project missed its initial December 2026 completion target.
Speaking during a church service at St. Martin’s Cathedral in Kitui on Sunday, July 12, President Ruto said the government had secured Ksh10.6 billion in additional funding to fast-track the completion of the long-delayed project.
The President explained that the project had stalled after funding challenges affected construction progress, despite earlier plans to have the dam completed by December 2026.
“I have directed the ministry and the contractor that by April 2027, because it was supposed to be complete by December 2026, by April, I want us to come and commission that dam,” Ruto said.
Ruto said the newly secured funds would enable the government to complete what he described as the largest dam ever constructed in Kenya.
“We built Thwake Dam but it encountered a few challenges after the money ran out. But now we have secured the funds. We have received Ksh10.6 billion which was approved last month to complete Thwake,” he added.
The President said the completion of the dam would provide major economic benefits to residents of Kitui, Makueni and surrounding areas through improved access to clean water, livestock support and expanded irrigation opportunities.
“By April we want to commission that dam so that you can have water to drink, water for your livestock and carry out irrigation,” he stated.
The revised timeline means the project completion date has been pushed forward by four months from the original December 2026 target due to delays caused by funding shortages.
The contractor now has more than nine months to complete the remaining works, with the first phase of the project currently estimated to be 90 per cent complete.
Located along the border of Kitui and Makueni counties, Thwake Dam is among Kenya’s key water infrastructure projects and is expected to improve water supply, boost agricultural production and support industrial development once operational.
The project commenced in 2018 but experienced delays due to financial constraints. The latest funding package includes Ksh9.6 billion (€64.20 million) from the African Development Bank and Ksh630.8 million (€4.2 million) from the African Development Fund to support completion works.