Kenya and Uganda sign bilateral agreement for $137 million water project

Kenya and Uganda have formally launched the implementation of the $137 million Angololo Water Resources Development Project (AWRDP), a transformative transboundary initiative expected to enhance food security, energy access, and regional integration for over 300,000 residents across the Sio-Malaba-Malakisi River Sub-basin, reports the Kenya News Agency.

The bilateral agreement, signed in Busia County by Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Water, Sanitation and Irrigation, Eng. Eric Muga, and Uganda’s Minister for Environment, Beatrice Atim Anywar, marks a milestone in a project first identified in 2010 and conceptualized in 2015. Implemented through the Nile Basin Initiative's Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Program (NELSAP), AWRDP is co-funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the NEPAD Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility (NEPAD-IPPF).

“This project will create employment for our people here and our neighbor Uganda, and supply clean water to more than 300,000 people in Busia and Bungoma in Kenya, and Tororo, Namisindwa and Manafwa in Uganda,” said CS Muga. The project includes a 40-metre-high dam with a 31.6 million cubic metre capacity, a 1.3 MW hydropower plant, and plans for a 20 MW floating solar system. Additionally, it features a 4,000-hectare irrigation scheme — 47% in Kenya and 53% in Uganda — and restoration of 30% of a 447 km² degraded catchment area.

Young people, particularly in Teso North, are expected to benefit from employment and service opportunities during the construction phase, slated for the 2026/2027 financial year. Operations are set to begin in 2030.

Uganda’s Beatrice Atim emphasized the project’s importance in conserving natural resources. “We have the capability of doing great things if we work together. We need home solutions with fewer conditions without relying much on others,” she said.

The project aligns with Kenya’s Vision 2030 and Uganda’s Vision 2040, aiming to improve livelihoods through sustainable development, clean water access, power generation, and cross-border collaboration.