NAIROBI, Kenya
Busia and Siaya Counties are set to benefit from a World Bank loan worth $155 million to boost water supply. The fund is part of the World Bank’s initiative to support Kenya to build its water infrastructure and new water sector institutions, and the two counties will be the first beneficiaries of the initiative.
Speaking during the signing of the credit agreement, Ms. Diarietou Gaye, World Bank Country Director to Kenya, said that the loan will assist young people to engage in meaningful economic activities. “The loan will go a long way in supporting Kenya’s financing of a long-term, transformational programme aimed at achieving water security and resilience to climate variability and change. It will also help the Government to better manage its water resources and develop a pipeline of water investments that are necessary to improve Kenya’s water security and climate resilience,” she said.
The first beneficiaries of this financing will include an irrigation scheme on the Lower Nzoia River in Siaya and Busia counties in Western Kenya. The project is a flagship of the Kenya Agricultural Sector Development Strategy and it will ensure regular and reliable water supply so as to facilitate increased output of high value produce such as fruits and vegetables and staples such as soybeans, cereals and other legumes from this region.
It will also support Kenya’s water sector reforms and ensure water resources at the national and county levels are planned, developed and maintained for long-term prosperity. The new credit has increased the Bank’s support to Kenya’s water sector to $605 million. The Bank is supporting another major operation, the Water and Sanitation Services Improvement Project, with a credit of $450 million.
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