Kenya must rapidly expand irrigation if it is to feed its growing population, with the Government stepping up investments to harvest runoff from seasonal rivers, harness water from rivers, build and rehabilitate dams and water pans and tap groundwater through deep boreholes.
Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary (CS) Sen. Mutahi Kagwe has said Kenya must rapidly expand irrigation if it is to feed its growing population.
With landmass remaining the same, the CS added, it is necessary to produce more food from every available acre while reducing dependence on increasingly unreliable rainfall.
“The population is growing and that does not mean the size of Kenya will increase. It is therefore important that we have water available to match that growth and feed our population,” Kagwe said during the launch of the Sh 79 million rehabilitation of the Ndigiria Water Pan in Bamba, Kilifi County.
Ndigiria Water Pan, established in 1963, is being rehabilitated to restore its water-holding capacity and support a 50-acre smallholder irrigation scheme.
CS Kagwe said the project will directly benefit more than 100 farmers, reach an estimated 4,026 indirect beneficiaries, and provide water for approximately 15,398 livestock.
It is being implemented through the National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP), and works will include desilting and stabilization of the water pan, fencing, an intake structure, pumping units and distribution pipelines, balancing tanks, solar power systems and farm irrigation infrastructure.
On irrigation-led food security strategy, CS Kagwe said Kenya cannot continue allowing huge volumes of runoff to flow away during rainy seasons only for the masses to face water shortages and food insecurity months later.
Strategy is, therefore, to capture runoff from seasonal rivers, harvest and store river water, expand dams and water pans and sustainably exploit groundwater through deep boreholes where viable, before directing the water into agricultural production.
CS Kagwe said the approach is being pursued alongside major irrigation investments, including Galana-Kulalu, as well as the Government’s programme to develop dams and irrigation infrastructure across the country.
“Kenya cannot continue depending on rain alone to feed its people. We must have water available for agriculture so that farmers can produce whether it rains or not,” Kagwe said, noting that the objective is not simply to store water but to turn water into food, jobs and incomes.
He urged beneficiaries to diversify production, combining food crops with commercially attractive crops to strengthen household food security and create multiple income streams. Farmers allocated land under the scheme will also receive seeds, extension services and technical support
The CS directed the contractor to implement the rehabilitation in phases to ensure residents continue accessing water during construction and accelerate works so that the pan can capture as much runoff as possible during the coming rains.
He also directed that livestock watering points be separated from the irrigation facility and instructed the contractor to prioritize local residents for employment opportunities.
CS Kagwe further called for grading of the road leading to the water pan, saying irrigation must be supported by infrastructure that enables farmers to move their produce to markets. He pledged to champion improvement of the wider Bamba road network at Cabinet level.
The project also includes a financial empowerment component, with CS Kagwe handing over Sh 30,512,579 to eight local SACCOs to strengthen farmers’ access to financing.
Kilifi Deputy Governor Flora Mbetsa Chibule urged residents to take ownership of the project and protect the infrastructure to ensure the investment serves the community for generations.
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