Food shortage looms after floods damage Perkerra Irrigation Scheme

Kenya’s food security faces a challenge from the ongoing heavy rains that have led to widespread flooding.

Over 1,000 families are on the brink of a food shortage crisis as flood waters have submerged farms under the Perkerra Irrigation Scheme in Baringo South, considered the region's breadbasket and source of maize seed for the Kenya Seed Company Limited.

The irrigation scheme has been severely damaged by raging floods after rivers Molo and Perkerra burst their banks.

Many of the farmers at the scheme have painfully narrated how the heavy rains have taken a toll on their lives.

"I've lost almost 10 acres to the floods; I've incurred great losses as a result. I'd like to ask the government to intervene since a food crisis is imminent. We can't even pay our children's fees since we have no produce to sell," Thomas Lenaiweti, an affected farme,r told Citizen TV.

The floodwaters have not only destroyed crops but also flooded the scheme's water intake infrastructure.

The farmers, many of whom had secured bank loans for this project, now face an uncertain future with a lost harvest and mounting debt.

"We normally borrow a Ksh.20,000 loan to service a single acre of land until we can harvest our produce. At this time, the lands are unusable but we still have to repay the loans," Wilson Salaja, another affected farmer, said.

The county's leadership led by Baringo Governor Benjamin Cheboi visited the area and appealed for more help for the affected farmers, who like others are counting loses.

"The disaster response committee at the county level should get prepared and ease the food security challenges which will arise from these losses that have been borne by the farmers here. The harvest from this irrigation scheme had benefitted locals both in Baringo and Nakuru Counties," said Cheboi.

"This scheme is one among the many farmlands washed away by floods, due to heavy rains across the country, a disaster that risks causing food insecurity in the country."