Gov’t eyes investment in harvesting river water, rehabilitate dams to support agriculture

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary (CS) Mutahi Kagwe has intimated that Kenya is planning to invest in infrastructure that will scale up water harvesting to aid in large-scale agriculture.

According to CS Kagwe, there is a need to meet food consumption demand from Kenya's growing population, yet the country's landmass remains underexplored.

He said that harvesting water from rivers, building and rehabilitating dams and drilling more boreholes will facilitate more food production 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 in Kilifi on Thursday.

The CS said 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.

He 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.

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.

It is against this backdrop that Kagwe launched a Ksh.79 million rehabilitation of the Ndigiria Water Pan in Bamba, Kilifi County, positioning the project as part of the Government's wider irrigation-led food security strategy.

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.

CS 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 prioritise residents for employment opportunities.