President William Ruto on Tuesday March 14th 2023 held talks with his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella at State House, Nairobi.
The two leaders discussed strengthening relations between their countries, bilateral agreements and development cooperation, among others.
According to Ruto, the government of Kenya and Italy have agreed to withdraw the arbitration cases against Itare, Arror and Kimwarer Dams.
“We have agreed to re-establish cooperation on the construction of Arror, Kimwarer and Itare dams and other water and sanitation projects which are critical to our agenda on food security, delivery of water and climate action,” stated the President.
He added that measures would be adopted to renegotiate the restructuring of the finances committed during the tenure of retired President Uhuru Kenyatta.
According to Ruto, the government was keen on ensuring that the Arror and Kimwarer projects resume in a “matter of months”, terming them as “urgent and top priority” for the government’s plans to alleviate the water shortage crisis in parts of the Rift Valley.
In addition, the Italian President committed to providing over Ksh 13 billion in loans and grants to aid Kenya in the implementation of various projects within the agriculture, health, creative economy, and digital superhighway sectors.