Ruto heads to Rome for Kenya-Italy investment talks

President William Ruto has departed for Rome on an official visit to Italy aimed at advancing key infrastructure and investment deals, the State House said on Sunday.

During the visit, Ruto will hold bilateral talks with Italian President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to strengthen the strategic partnership between the two countries.

Several memoranda of understanding and cross-sector agreements are expected to be signed.

At the centre of the visit are the long-stalled Arror, Kimwarer, and Itare dam projects in Elgeyo Marakwet and Nakuru counties, all of which were originally financed through Italian-backed commercial loans.

The three dams were halted following corruption allegations and legal disputes between Kenya and Italian contractor CMC Di Ravenna.

The Itare dam was left at 27 percent completion, while no substantial construction work was done at the Arror and Kimwarer sites despite billions of shillings in advance payments.

The government has since reached a settlement with CMC Di Ravenna after the contractor withdrew an arbitration case at The Hague.

Construction of Itare and Arror is set to resume, though progress on Kimwarer remains delayed owing to unresolved technical issues.

Ruto's administration frames the revival of the dams under the irrigation pillar of its national development agenda.

In his State of the Nation Address to Parliament in November 2025, Ruto unveiled a plan to put at least 2.5 million acres under irrigation within seven years through the construction of 50 mega dams, 200 medium and small dams, and thousands of micro-dams across the country.

The government has positioned expanded irrigation, accelerated energy generation, and infrastructure development as three of its core national priorities.

Ruto is also expected to participate in the Kenya-Italy Business Forum in Rome, where he will present investment opportunities across the infrastructure, irrigation, and energy sectors.

He will hold separate meetings with business leaders and multilateral institutions, including the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), both of which are headquartered in Rome.

The visit will advance cooperation under Italy's Mattei Plan, a foreign policy initiative launched by the Meloni government to redefine Italy's engagement with Africa.

Kenya is among the nine pilot countries in the plan's first phase.

The Mattei Plan focuses on six areas: education and training, agriculture, health, energy, water, and infrastructure.

It is backed by a financing facility anchored by an initial EUR 100 million from Italy.

For Kenya, the Rome talks come as Ruto pushes to accelerate his broader agricultural agenda.

The government has stated that bringing more land under irrigation is critical to reducing the country's annual Sh500 billion food import bill, improving food security, and positioning Kenya as a net agricultural exporter.

The dam projects, if successfully revived, would supply water for both domestic use and irrigation in Nakuru, Elgeyo Marakwet, and surrounding counties.