President William Ruto toured Lamu and Tana River counties on Thursday where he announced plans to introduce commercial rice and sugarcane production.

He said the government will produce rice and sugarcane under irrigation with the help of private investors.

“We are going to transform this region through irrigated agriculture and we will make it one of the food baskets in the country. We will focus on production of rice and sugarcane in partnership with investors to save on foreign exchange used to import these commodities,” he said.

President Ruto, who was flanked by Cabinet Secretaries Hassan Joho (Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs) and Eric Muriithi (Water and Irrigation), Lamu governor Issa Timamy and his Tana River counterpart Dhadho Godhana, launched several projects in the region and promised to resolve the land problem through issuance of title deeds.

Lamu and Tana River residents cheered when President Ruto reiterated that he has issued a gazette notice to end vetting and discrimination in the issuance of national identity cards in the country.

“The government will not issue national identity cards recklessly but we will end the discrimination and a feeling that some regions are not treated fairly. We want everybody to be served equally. I will protect the rights of every Kenyan,” he said.

Gravity canal

In Tana River County, President Ruto commissioned Korakora-Nanighi gravity canal in Bura sub-county constructed at a cost of Sh3.5 billion.

The Head of State said the project, which has replaced a diesel-run canal, will now increase the land under irrigation from 6,000 acres to 25,000 acres.

“Today, we have increased the irrigated land from 6,000 acres to 25,000 acres up to 70 per cent of the funds is from the government to improve food production,” he stated.

He said the canal will be cheaper to manage since they will no longer pay for diesel. “We are going to get relief food for distribution from here,” he added. He pledged a government plan to construct a dam in the county to serve residents and their livestock following a persistent drought.

In Lamu county, the president launched the construction of affordable housing units at Mokowe.

He said in Tana River county, another Sh600 million has been allocated to connect 13,000 households with electricity.

Joho said the president was committed to uniting Kenyans and asked everyone to support the agenda.

“Once Kenyans are united, it will be possible to elect a president from any corner of the country,” he said.