Kenya's Largest Dam to Benefit Kitui, Tharaka Nithi and Tana river County

Construction of Kenya’s biggest dam is set to start soon along River Tana. The proposed Shs 150 billion High Grand Falls Dam will be the single largest undertaking by the government in the water sector and will supply water to the Lamu resort city and port.

The 165 square kilometre dam will also be used to generate between 500MW and 700MW of electricity and help to control flooding in the Tana delta that displaces thousands of people every year.

Its construction will be funded through a public private partnership with firms from the People’s Republic of China and the Export-Import Bank of China providing the finances.

“A feasibility study and a detailed design of the High Grand Falls Dam on Tana River is now complete and work will commence any time now,” the outgoing permanent secretary in the Ministry of Water, Mr David Stower, told Smart Company during a dam inspection tour in Koibatek District, Baringo County.

The proposed dam will hold over 5.6 billion cubic metres of water and will border three counties — Tharaka Nithi, Kitui, and Tana.

“Apart from generation of electricity, the massive water in the dam will be used to irrigate more than 200,000 acres of land. This will go a long way in boosting food production in the country,” Mr Stower said. Full story