Principal Secretary for Irrigation Ephantus Kimotho
The government plans to rehabilitate Ndalat Dam and two other small dams in Mosop Constituency, Nandi County, to expand access to irrigation water and support agricultural production.
Principal Secretary for Irrigation Ephantus Kimotho inspected Ndalat Dam on Friday alongside officials from the State Department for Irrigation and the National Irrigation Authority (NIA).
Irrigation Secretary Joel Tanui and NIA Chief Executive Officer Charles Muasya accompanied Kimotho during the inspection. Nandi Deputy Governor Yulitah Mitei Cheruiyot and Mosop MP Abraham Kirwa also attended.
Kimotho said the rehabilitation would address the community’s long-standing demand for improved access to water and help farmers increase agricultural production.
“The President has heard your cry for water,” Kimotho told residents, adding that reliable water access was critical to improving food security, household incomes and livelihoods.
He said the dams would provide water for supplemental irrigation, reducing farmers’ dependence on rainfall and enabling them to diversify into high-value crops and supply markets more consistently.
Ndalat Dam was constructed during the colonial period to provide water for livestock, domestic use and farming.
However, inadequate maintenance over the years has left the facility in poor condition, limiting its capacity to serve the surrounding community.
The reservoir has accumulated silt and is heavily covered by papyrus and reeds.
The dam also lacks a spillway, while sections of its embankment have been eroded, raising safety concerns and increasing the risk of flooding in nearby homes and farms.
Fed by a permanent stream, the dam has a reservoir covering approximately 1.5 acres, with an estimated storage capacity of 25,000 cubic metres.
The planned rehabilitation will involve removing silt, papyrus and reeds from the reservoir and stabilising eroded sections of the embankment.
A spillway with downstream erosion protection will also be constructed to improve the facility’s safety.
The project is expected to bring 17 acres under irrigation and benefit 68 households. Farmers in the surrounding area currently grow tea, coffee, cereals and horticultural crops.
Improved access to water is expected to help farmers increase production, diversify their agricultural activities and reduce crop losses during dry periods.
The project is also expected to create jobs during construction and generate additional economic opportunities once the irrigation scheme becomes operational.
Increased farm production is expected to support household incomes, stimulate local trade and improve water availability for livestock.
The rehabilitation forms part of the government’s programme to develop dams across the country and expand smallholder irrigation to strengthen food and nutrition security.
