President William Ruto is scheduled to depart for South Korea on Sunday evening, commencing his official visit and continuing diplomatic efforts in the region.
Speaking during an interdenominational church service in Kimili, Bungoma, Ruto announced that he will witness the signing of several significant deals.
“Today, I’ll be flying to Korea for three important matters,” he announced. “During my previous visit, we reached several agreements, and I intend to follow up on those commitments,” he explained.
“These include a Sh40 billion deal aimed at bolstering the creative economy and another agreement worth Sh25 billion for acquiring equipment necessary for the construction of dams dedicated to irrigation projects.”
The purpose of the visit is to conclude and formally sign several agreements that were initiated during his previous tour in November.
However, during the 61st Madaraka Day celebrations in Western Kenya, President William Ruto generously distributed gifts, pledging to revitalize the sugar industry, which serves as the economic cornerstone of the area.
He revealed that his administration has taken decisive action to relieve sugar factories by absolving a substantial debt of Sh110 billion, while simultaneously allocating an additional Sh2 billion towards the advancement of sugarcane cultivation within state-owned mills.
“We are firmly committed to ensuring that the sugar industry delivers maximum value to everyone involved in its value chains, starting with the cane grower. Just like other crops, sugar cane farmers will receive bonuses at the end of each year.”
Under president Ruto’s direction, the National Sugar Council announced plans for rejuvenating the industry with a hefty Sh2 billion infusion earmarked for sugarcane development across State-owned mills once the leasing process concludes.
“As part of our ongoing commitment to revolutionize sugarcane development through State-owned mills, following the completion of leasing agreements, I am delighted to declare that the government has officially greenlit the first installment of Sh600 million for seed cane development. The National Treasury is poised to promptly disburse these funds,” Ruto said.
Ruto stressed the need for better access to agricultural information, revealing plans for a database to support farmers and agripreneurs. He noted that 6.4 million registered farmers in the database have already benefited from subsidized fertilizer.
