TAITA TAVETA, Kenya – President William Ruto has announced that the long-awaited National Infrastructure Fund will be unveiled this week, marking what he termed a decisive shift in how Kenya will finance major development projects.
Speaking during the launch of the expanded Tsavo West Rhino Sanctuary in Ngulia, Taita Taveta County, on Tuesday, the President said the fund is designed to mobilise new capital for infrastructure—an area where government ambitions have repeatedly stalled due to inadequate financing.
Ruto said the new framework is expected to attract up to six times more resources from private sector partners, sharply increasing Kenya’s ability to execute long-delayed national transformation plans.
“For a long time, we have had many plans, but we have not had the ability to actualise them because we lacked a strategy to raise the money required. We now have a new framework to fund our plans,” he said.
50 Mega Dams, 1,000 Small Dams Planned
The President said the fund will prioritise water infrastructure, including the construction of 50 mega dams and 1,000 small and medium-sized dams across the country.
The projects are expected to boost domestic water supply, livestock production, irrigation, and wildlife conservation—particularly in arid and semi-arid regions where scarcity fuels human–wildlife conflict.
“We will begin using arid and semi-arid regions to grow food and keep more livestock,” he said, adding that adequate water inside parks would reduce wildlife incursions into communities.
World’s Largest Rhino Sanctuary Unveiled
Ruto also presided over the launch of the new Tsavo West Rhino Sanctuary, which now spans more than 3,200 square kilometres—making it the largest rhino sanctuary globally.
The upgrade replaces the older 92-square-kilometre Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary which had exceeded its carrying capacity with nearly 150 black rhinos.
The government has invested $4.7 million (Sh606 million) in enhanced protection systems, expanded fencing—more than 250 kilometres—and what officials say is the world’s largest rhino monitoring and tagging programme.
With increased space, stronger security and improved genetics, the President said Kenya is now ready to raise black rhino population growth from the current 5 per cent to 8 per cent annually.
“This will directly advance our national targets of 1,450 rhinos by 2030 and 2,000 rhinos by 2037,” he said.
Communities to Benefit
Ruto reiterated that conservation must deliver economic benefits to local communities, who he described as shareholders in Kenya’s emerging green economy.
The Tsavo expansion is already creating jobs in ranger services, surveillance, road construction and logistics.
“By 2030, this initiative is projected to create over 18,000 jobs and generate more than $45 million (Sh5.8 billion) in conservancy and tourism revenue,” he said.
Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano hailed the sanctuary as a globally significant milestone for conservation, while Taita Taveta Governor Andrew Mwadime welcomed public-private partnerships to help address water challenges in the region.
Kenya Wildlife Service Director-General Erustus Kanga credited recent KWS reforms—including hiring 1,500 new officers and revising conservation fees—with boosting the agency’s financial sustainability.
“With the current tourism trends, KWS will not require funding from the National Treasury,” he said.
Also present were Ambassador Monica Juma, former US envoy Meg Whitman and several MPs.
