Galana-Kulalu; government to hand over 10,000 acres to private investors

NAIROBI, KENYA: The Government is preparing to hand over 10,000 acres of the expansive Galana-Kulalu Food Security Project to private investors to plant maize by the end of this year.

Through the National Irrigation Board (NIB), which is managing all irrigation schemes in the country, the State says it has finished laying the infrastructure to support the model farm.

NIB has put up an open international tender for private firms or individual investors to bid for space.

According to the agency, the received proposals will be evaluated and ranked according to technical and financial ability.

“The construction of the model farm has now been completed and the National Irrigation Board intends to invite private firms to undertake production through invitation of proposals,” NIB said in an advert on Thursday.

Eligible firms have been given up to February 6, to submit proposals. To qualify, they will have to prepare technical and production proposals for either the entire 10,000 acres or sections of it.

Contracts will be signed within 30 days of tender award.

NIB General Manager Mugambi Gitonga told The Standard that most of the work has been on testing the right variety of crops and laying the infrastructure, and the Government now wants production to be in the hands of the private sector.

“The major crop will still be maize. We want the private sector to be involved in the project,” he said.