The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) approved on Wednesday, 30 October 2013 in Tunis, a US$ 94.37 million (UA 61.68 million) ADF loan and US$ 1.85 million (UA 1.21 million) ADF grant to the Government of Kenya to finance phase one of the Thwake Multi-purpose Water Development Program (TMWDP).
The objective of the project is to increase water storage for rural and urban human consumption, for irrigation and livestock and for hydropower, with a principal focus on the semi-arid counties of Kitui and Makueni, and the ICT city of Konza.
The Thwake Multi-purpose Water Development Program (TMWDP) comprises a multi-purpose dam for water supply, hydropower generation and irrigation development. It will also provide regulation of flows on Athi River downstream of the dam for flood and drought mitigation.
It targets broad improvement in productivity and livelihoods over a ten-year period (2013-2023). The Program recognizes the symbiotic relationship between Kenya's water secure and water insecure regions by spanning both the lower and higher levels of the economy to ensure that national economic growth is both inclusive and sustainable.