The National Irrigation Board has been elevated to an authority after President Uhuru Kenyatta signed the Irrigation Bill 2019 into law.
Irrigation Principal Secretary Fred Segor said the National Irrigation Board Act has been in place since 1967 and has served Kenya for about 52 years.
“The government has seen it wise that the Act be reviewed ... We are now about to start the process of transiting to the National Irrigation Authority,” he told the Star on Friday.
Segor said there will be no job losses.
He said the Ministry of Agriculture will guide the transition. In addition, the Irrigation Act of 2019 now conforms to the Constitution, he said.
“Before this Bill was assented to [on August 2], we were not very clear on what role the national and county governments will be playing in irrigation. But the Act has given clarity,” Segor said.
The PS said that under the Irrigation Bill, county governments will be expected to form the County Irrigation Development Units to ensure they map areas suitable for irrigation.
The county unit will also be expected to help plan development, decide what irrigation system will be built at a particular place and what kind of plants will be grown.
The role of the government and county regulations are spelt out.
Some new responsibilities of the authority will include developing and improving irrigation infrastructure for national or public schemes.
“The authority will ensure irrigation research, innovation and training functions are carried out and coordinated. It will oversee the management of existing and new national or public schemes, except those under county governments and particularly storage dam, intakes, main and secondary systems,” the Act reads.
Edited by R.Wamochie
