More than 3,000 small-scale farmers in Moiben constituency, Uasin Gishu county, are set to benefit from the Sh350 million Lower Sabor Irrigation Development Project once complete.
Water, Sanitation and Irrigation Chief Administrative Secretary Andrew Tuimur said the project, which commenced in 2012 is currently serving more than 700 farmers.
He said he was confident that the number of farmers benefiting would increase once the last mile of the project, which will consist of connecting infield pipes and the provision of irrigation equipment to the farmers at a cost Sh40 million is completed.
Tuimur spoke during an inspection tour of the project.
He said the project is 99 per cent complete with the remaining one per cent expected to be completed before the end of March next year.
The project will immensely boost small-scale horticulture farming in the area, the CAS said.
He said the project will see more than 1,500 acres of agricultural land placed under irrigation in a move that will not only boost food production but also enable small-scale farmers to increase their income.
“It is our desire to improve irrigation coverage in the country from the current 600,000 acres to about 1.3 million before 2030,” Tuimur said.
He said food security is an integral part of the government's Big Four agenda and the government, through such projects, is committed to making Kenya a food-secure nation.
“I urge farmers in this area to take advantage of the project and diversify into horticultural farming to supplement their income,” he said.
The irrigation project, situated along the Uasin Gishu and Elgeyo Marakwet counties border, had experienced setbacks due to community conflicts but the CAS assured the public that adequate consultation has been done to solve the problem.
He said there is no possibility of the same recurring in the future.
Tuimur said the ministry will construct two additional water pans in the area to assist in water harvesting.
The CAS said the government was committed to improving water and sanitation coverage nationally.
“Our water coverage nationally is still low at 60 per cent, but we intend to improve coverage to 100 per cent by the year 2030 in order for the country to achieve universal water coverage,” he said.
Tuimur said there are various projects undertaken by the government to improve sanitation from a low of 20 per cent currently, to at least 80 per cent by 2030.
Uasin Gishu Livestock and Fisheries chief officer Barnabas Too, who accompanied the CAS during the tour, said the county government was ready to partner with farmers through the provision of extension services to ensure farmers take full advantage of the available water resources.
Edited by A.N
