The Government has underscored the need to rapidly expand irrigation across the country to boost food production and enhance food security as Kenya’s population continues to grow.
Speaking during the launch of Ksh 79M rehabilitation of the Ndigiria Water Pan in Bamba, Kilifi County, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, government is stepping up investments in irrigation infrastructure, including harvesting runoff from seasonal rivers, harnessing water from permanent rivers, building and rehabilitating dams and water pans, and tapping groundwater through deep boreholes.
He said that the project is part of government’s wider irrigation-led food security strategy adding that Kenya cannot continue allowing huge volumes of runoff to flow away during rainy seasons only for communities to face water shortages and food insecurity months later.
Similarly, the CS noted that the government’s strategy is 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 this 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 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,” said CS Sen. Kagwe.
CS Sen. Mutahi Kagwe said Kenya’s population will continue growing while the country’s landmass remains the same, making it necessary to produce more food from every available acre and reduce 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,” said CS Kagwe.
The Government has been advancing major dam projects while expanding national and community irrigation schemes as part of efforts to increase water storage and bring hundreds of thousands of additional acres under irrigation.
“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,” CS Kagwe said.
The Ndigiria Water Pan, established in 1963, is being rehabilitated to restore its water holding capacity and support a 50 acre smallholder irrigation scheme.
The project will directly benefit more than 100 farmers, reach an estimated 4,026 indirect beneficiaries and provide water for approximately 15,398 livestock.
Implemented through the National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP), 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.
Kagwe said 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.
