State inspects Sh516 million Nyanza irrigation projects to boost food security

The government has stepped up efforts to enhance food production and climate resilience in Nyanza following an inspection of major irrigation projects in Homa Bay County.

Irrigation Principal Secretary Ephantus Kimotho was joined by Karachuonyo MP Adipo Okuome, Homa Bay County Commissioner Ronald Mwiwawi, and senior county officials on a tour of key irrigation schemes in the region. 

The visit covered the Okundi Dam Irrigation Project in Kamser Seka area, Rambira Sub-County, Rachuonyo North, as well as the Nyamaji Irrigation Project in Suba North Constituency.

In Rachuonyo North, the team visited the Okundi Dam Irrigation Project, established to address years of unreliable rainfall, prolonged droughts, and water wastage during the rainy seasons that disrupted farming. 

The Sh164.4 million project aims to promote irrigated agriculture, boost food production and household incomes, and enhance community resilience to climate variability.

Once completed, the dam is expected to irrigate 100 acres, benefiting around 100 households and over 10,000 livestock units.

“This project is meant to ensure communities are no longer at the mercy of unpredictable weather patterns,” PS Kimotho said, noting that the dam will secure water for both crops and livestock throughout the year. 

The initiative will also support fodder production, strengthen the livestock value chain, and create employment opportunities within the local community.

In Suba North, the inspection focused on the Nyamaji Irrigation Project, a large-scale initiative identified in the 1980s for its irrigation potential using Lake Victoria as the primary water source. 

The Sh351 million project is designed to irrigate 1,500 acres, directly benefiting about 1,500 households, with an estimated 4,500 households benefiting indirectly.

PS Kimotho said the project would enable farmers to engage in productive, year-round farming, reducing dependence on rain-fed agriculture.

“This is about stabilising farm incomes, creating jobs, and strengthening agribusiness at the grassroots,” he said.

The tour also included the Kimira Oluch Irrigation Scheme, recently transferred to the National Irrigation Authority (NIA) under the Irrigation Act, 2019, which places large-scale irrigation schemes under national management. 

The inspection focused on evaluating infrastructure and identifying priority interventions to fully operationalise the scheme.

“Our immediate focus is to identify gaps, rehabilitate critical infrastructure, and ensure the scheme is fully functional,” PS Kimotho said. 

Located along Lake Victoria, the Kimira and Oluch smallholder schemes cover 4,341 acres, but currently only 1,100 acres are under rice production, yielding about 1,650 metric tonnes, highlighting significant underutilisation of available irrigation potential.

The government plans to complete outstanding on-farm infrastructure and roll out comprehensive farmer capacity-building programs to unlock the scheme’s full potential.

“Once fully operational, the scheme will significantly increase rice output, boost household incomes, and transform livelihoods for thousands of farming families in the Lake Region,” PS Kimotho said.

All inspected projects align with the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), focusing on food security, drought mitigation, and improved rural livelihoods.