Kenya is planning to build 24 dams on the Nile within 10 years, sources told Al-Masry Al-Youm, adding that Kenyan experts have said building dams is the best investment to secure the country’s water needs.

The sources said the Kenyan government built a number of small dams in different regions in Kenya to retain water during the rainy season and to use it later during the dry season.

Egypt is closely following the activities carried out by certain Nile Basin countries. The same sources said those countries are taking advantage of circumstances in the region, including tension between Sudan and South Sudan and Egypt’s upcoming presidential election.

Nile Basin countries, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania, signed an agreement in Entebbe in May 2010 that sought a fair redistribution of Nile water.

Egypt, according to a treaty signed with Sudan under British occupation, is entitled to 55.5 billion cubic meters a year of around 84 billion cubic meters of Nile water. According to the treaty, any country that wishes to establish any agrarian project should first seek Egyptian approval.

The Entebbe agreement rattled upstream countries Egypt and Sudan, which enjoy the lion’s share of river water. Tensions further flared as several countries that signed the treaty made plans to build dams on the river.

Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm