Deputy President William Ruto has assured Busia residents that the government has a program in place to deal with the perennial floods that affected the region. Speaking in Budalangi during a tour of Busia County, Dr. Ruto said the government has initiated a project that will see the setting up of canals and dykes to control the persistent problem. He said a vital step has been fulfilled, the completion of the Sigiri bridge, which has taken up close to Kshs 1 billion.
He said canals will be set up in Busia and Siaya Counties, primary, secondary and tertiary canals, and that dykes will be built to help secure the rice farms, “We will build dykes, 34km long to make sure your farms aren’t destroyed by the flooding waters.” He further noted that after the construction of canals, the acreage of farms under irrigation will be increased from 2000 acres to 10,000 acres, “Our aim is to increase the farmers’ income. Right now, farmers are earning Kshs 6 million by selling rice from the 2000 acres, as a result of the project, the farmers’ income will increase from Kshs 6 million to Kshs 4 billion every year.”
The Deputy President urged residents to focus on development issues and to desist from political narratives, saying now is the time to work. During his Busia tour, he launched a 10,000 acre Lower Nzoia Irrigation Project in Budalangi, set to cost Kshs 5.8 billion and which will target 12,000 households. He also presided over the handing over a five-acre parcel of land to the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Institute.