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- To Feed the Growing Population,Kenya Must Irrigate —CS Kagwe Says as KSH 79Mn Ndigiria Water pan Rehabitation Launched;
Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary 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.
It is against this backdrop that Kagwe launched the 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 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.
The Government’s 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 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.
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.
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.
The project also includes a financial empowerment component,with CS Kagwe handing over KSh 30,512,579 to eight local SACCOs to strengthen farmers’ access to financing.
Principal Secretary for Cooperatives Development Patrick Kilemi said stronger cooperatives would enable farmers to aggregate produce, access markets, obtain financing and negotiate better returns.
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.
For the Government,Ndigiria represents part of a much bigger agricultural transformation from large-scale projects such as Galana-Kulalu to dams,community water pans, river harvesting and deep boreholes.
The strategy is to capture and store water when it is available and use it to produce food throughout the year, breaking the cycle in which failed rains automatically lead to crop failure,livestock losses and food shortages.
As Kenya’s population grows while its landmass remains the same,the country’s food security equation is increasingly clear: to feed more people,Kenya must irrigate more land.
CS Kagwe was accompanied by Kilifi Deputy Governor Flora Mbetsa Chibule,investment serves the community for generations Principal Secretary for Cooperatives Development Patrick Kilemi,County Executive Committee Members for Agriculture from various counties and senior officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.
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