National Irrigation Board roots for law to map out irrigable lands in counties

PS State Department for Irrigation, Prof Fred Segor

ELDORET, KENYA: The National Irrigation Board (NIB) is rooting for a law that will make it compulsory for the 47 counties to establish special units to identify and develop all irrigable lands to help boost food security. 

According to NIB General Manager Gitonga Mugambi, the bill has gone through the second reading in the Senate and if successful will see NIB renamed into National Irrigation Authority to help accelerate the country’s goal of putting at least one million acres under irrigation.

“The current irrigation act was enacted in 1966 and obviously a lot has changed since then. The bill takes into consideration such changes including county governments and water resource management associations,” said Mr Mugambi.

Accompanied by PS State Department for Irrigation, Prof Fred Segor in Sabor area during an inspection tour of the proposed Lower Sabor Irrigation project in Uasin Gishu County, Mugambi added that the move will empower other agencies in running irrigation projects.

Prof Segor told the press that the enactment of the bill into law will lead to the formation of county irrigation development units in all counties.

“Every county will be expected to have a unit in their respective ministry of agriculture and irrigation so that they map irrigable areas to ensure that in every county there is land under irrigation,” explained the PS.

Currently, this is the preserve of NIB to determine areas to be put under irrigation but this could change if the bill passes into law. 

During the inspection tour, the PS said that the country has huge potential for food security if farmers can be supported with reliable water to diversify into high value crops such as horticulture.

For the Lower Sabor irrigation scheme where work started in April, the construction of water intakes and laying of on-farm sprinklers will see more than 750 farmers sitting on 2000 acres benefit in phase one of the project.

According to Prof Segor, Uasin Gishu and Elegeyo Marakwet are rich in soils reliable for horticulture and reliable source of water will boost production to promote export business.

The project is set for a boost following plans to construct a 16 million cubic-metre dam that will scale the irrigable acreage to 20,000 for an area which experiences relatively dry season for about five months in a year.

“This is enough to support horticulture to assure farmers reliable income. With Eldoret Airport within the vicinity, there is a waiting market for exporting horticultural crops,” said Segor.
In the 2018/2019 financial year NIB wants to focus more on supporting small holder farmers through irrigation projects.
The government has identified food security as part of its focus on the Big 4 Agenda that also wants to revamp manufacturing, promote universal health care and affordable housing.