CAIRO - 16 February 2026: Irrigation Minister Hani Sewilam arrived in Nairobi on Monday, spearheading a high-level ministerial delegation to the Kenyan capital. The visit aims to catalyze technical partnerships and secure tangible development results that directly benefit citizens in both Egypt and Kenya.
Sewilam sat down with Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Water, Sanitation, and Irrigation Eric Mugaa. The session, attended by Egypt’s deputy ambassador and several technical officials, saw Mugaa praise the "distinguished relations" between the two nations. He emphasized Kenya’s eagerness to expand cooperation in sanitation and irrigation infrastructure.
Sewilam pointed to the robust bond between President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and President William Ruto as the cornerstone of this bilateral push. This relationship, he noted, serves as a vital pillar for addressing shared African concerns, particularly in sustainable development, water management, and climate change resilience.
A $100 million commitment
Highlighting Egypt’s role in the southern Nile Basin, Sewilam detailed a regional financing mechanism launched by Cairo with an initial contribution of $100 million. This fund is dedicated to feasibility studies and the implementation of priority infrastructure projects in sister Nile countries. Both ministers agreed that these initiatives must achieve a "tangible impact on the ground."
Technical and infrastructure blueprints
The talks delved into a suite of proposed projects designed to modernize Kenya’s water landscape, including:
* Groundwater exploration: Drilling wells to serve local communities in arid regions.
* Rainwater harvesting: Constructing specialized dams to capture seasonal runoff.
* Modern irrigation: Transitioning to high-efficiency systems and rehabilitating headwater areas in priority basins, specifically the Sio-Malakisi River.
* The Koru Dam: A primary focus of the meeting, this multi-purpose dam is seen as vital for securing Kenya’s water needs and driving regional growth.
* Kaimosi and Wandeti Dams: The delegation agreed to continue technical consultations on these two proposals to ensure they align with Kenya’s national development agenda.
The Nile Basin framework
Addressing regional diplomacy, Sewilam reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) as the only inclusive framework for all riparian states. He stressed the importance of the agreed-upon "consultative mechanism"—designed to address the concerns of states that have not joined the Framework Agreement—to restore unity and foster collective action across the continent.
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