Mengit Dam in Nakuru is set to nearly triple its water storage capacity from 150,000 cubic metres to 400,000 cubic metres under a government rehabilitation and expansion project targeting irrigation on about 600 acres.

The project in Nyota Ward, Kuresoi North Constituency, is expected to benefit about 1,000 households through a water reticulation system that will distribute stored water to farms and improve access to water for agricultural production.

The expanded storage capacity is expected to improve water availability during dry and drought periods, reducing farmers' dependence on increasingly unpredictable rainfall patterns.

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The project is expected to support the production of high-value crops and integrated crop and livestock enterprises, with the government saying increased agricultural activity will create opportunities for higher farm productivity, household incomes and employment.

Irrigation Principal Secretary Ephantus Kimotho said the expanded dam and irrigation system would create employment and income opportunities not only through farming but also through related activities such as input supply, farm services, produce handling and marketing.

Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei inspected the dam on Monday during preparations for the second edition of the Mau Forest Complex Integrated Conservation and Livelihood Improvement Programme.

Koskei commended the State Department for Irrigation for rehabilitating and redesigning existing dams to respond to current agricultural and water management needs.

He said the Mengit Dam rehabilitation would provide farmers with a more consistent water supply, particularly during drought, while supporting agricultural extension services and improved farming practices.

The project is also expected to support school nutrition and environmental stewardship through drip-irrigated kitchen gardens.

The irrigation investment is being undertaken under the Mau Forest Complex Integrated Conservation and Livelihood Improvement Programme, which links water security, agricultural productivity and conservation of the Mau Forest ecosystem.

The government says the project will also contribute to efforts to mitigate drought and strengthen food security while supporting the objectives of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.

Also present during the inspection were Principal Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs Aurelia Rono, Secretary for Administration Yatich Kipkemei, Irrigation Secretary Joel Tanui, Kuresoi North MP Mutai Kiprono Alfred, Nakuru Woman Representative Liza Chelule and other National and County Government officials.