- Only 3,300 out of projected 10,000 acres of phase one are under irrigation
- Israeli firm says they are still on the project but NIB chair says the firm abandoned the scheme
ODM leader Raila Odinga has defended the Galana Kulalu irrigation project against persistent criticisms that it has failed.
Observers say the one-million-acre scheme is a white elephant that has gobbled up billions of shillings with little to show.
There are reports that a stalemate between National Irrigation Board and Green Arava, an Israel company contracted to put the 10,000 acres under cultivation, grounded the project.
Raila on Thursday led a delegation of top national and county government officials on a tour of the Sh7 billion food security project and termed it successful.
"The project is not a white elephant as per reports which were made public. It is working well. We came here to witness for ourselves. It is something good," he said.
Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi, his Tana River counterpart Dhadho Godhana and NIB chairman Joshua Toro and other officials accompanied Raila on the tour.
He said the project had the capability of becoming the national bread basket.
The former Prime Minister said the government would engage stakeholders in discussions to ensure there are improvements in the project.
Green Arava chairman Yavir Kedar dismissed allegations by NIB that they abandoned the project, saying they were still on the ground.
He said they have so far spent Sh5.2 billion and termed difficulties experienced as being cause by politics and cartels who want to block funding for implementation of the project.
"We enjoy full support of the Israeli government in implementation of the project and have never abandoned it. We are still on the ground," he said.
Kedar said the project had the blessing of President Uhuru Kenyatta and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who have an agreement and did not want to bring issues that might affect the relationship of the two countries.
But chairman Toro told journalists NIB has fully taken over the project after Green Arava abandoned it.
Currently, he said, they were harvesting their first maize under the NIB supervision.
Toro said NIB had no choice but to take over the project, adding that they are committed to its success so that it does not become a white elephant.
"We could not allow the machinery to go to waste; that’s why we put them to use and the results have shown they are capable of protecting the investment of Kenyans," he said
He said currently, 3,300 acres out of the projected 10,000 acres of phase one pilot project have already been put under irrigation farming.
Toro said 1,700 acres of the project is for maize, 200 acres cotton, 120 acres legumes and 80 acres pasture.
Kingi said they want the project to be placed under the county governments.
Kilifi county assembly has already passed a motion to stop any operation in the Galana Kulalu food security project until the county is involved in its implementation.
Godhana said they were ready to take over the project under the devolved system and expressed optimism that the stalemate between NIB and Green Arava will end soon.