Dam for Galana project to be built

Construction of the 20km dam that can hold two billion cubic litres of water along River Sabaki in Malindi will start soon.

Officials said once complete, it will provide water to irrigate more than a million acres in the Galana Kulalu Food Security Project (GKFSP) in Kilifi and Tana River counties.

The dam, expected to sit on 200,000 acres in Chakama, Malindi, will supplement other water sources for the food project that seeks to have the Coast region as an alternative food basket for the country.

Speaking when he toured the food project, Water and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa said there was need to enhance water storage capacity for the Coast region through the establishment of large dams.

Mr Wamalwa observed that there was a huge deficit in the region and acknowledged that the Mzima Springs and Mwache Dams located in Kwale and Kilifi counties respectively were inadequate for the region’s water needs.

“The Coast region has the highest potential for irrigation in Kenya and there is urgent need to fast-track the development of all necessary infrastructure,” he said.

Phase one of the food project model farm, sitting on 10,000 acres, was started in September 2014 and is funded by the governments of Kenya and Israel at a cost of Sh4.5 billion.

The first crop is expected to be harvested in the next five weeks before being processed into flour for the local market.

The model farm has 4,685 acres of maize while another 900 acres of vegetables is under irrigation.

An additional 50 acres is also under green houses while 4,365 acres has been cleared for planting.

Alternative food regions

The CS said it was important for the country to establish alternative food basket regions to adequately address the food security needs.

Wamalwa said Kenya has continued to traditionally rely on Trans Nzoia County for her food requirements yet the population continues to increase annually, thereby requiring more land to feed its population.

The CS further confirmed that the national government through the National Irrigation Board (Nib) would continue to support the Bura and Hola Irrigation Schemes in Tana River adding that more acreage was required for the three irrigation projects in the region, including the Galana Kulalu.

During the tour, Wamalwa, accompanied by the Nib officials who included the board Chairman Sammy Latema and Daniel Barasa, said his biggest concern was the conservation of water reserves and water towers in the country.

He further confirmed that the Government of Israel in partnership with the Government of Kenya was in the process of establishing two more water training institutes to provide technical expertise in water and irrigation sectors.

The two institutes will be developed in Kilifi and Tharaka Nithi counties to supplement the Kenya Water Institute (Kawi) in Nairobi.