Today, the Principal Secretary for Irrigation Ephantus Kimotho officiated a public participation forum for the proposed irrigation project at Gwa Kiongo Dam put up by the State Department for Irrigation and the National Irrigation Authority.
AThe forum was attended by various stakeholders including local farmers, County Government administrative officers and NGAO officers to discuss about the proposed project and the anticipated socio-economic impact of the area.
Speaking at the meeting, PS Kimotho reiteratef the governments plan to develop irrigation infrastructure to increase food production and generate jobs in the rural communities.
The Gwa Kiongo Dam, built in the 1940s, was rebuilt by the National Irrigation Authority as a desilting project in 2021.
According to Kiongo, the dam has a capacity of 450,000 m 3 of water storing it has the ability to irrigate more than 1,000 acres of land.The residents also appreciated the project, believing that increased supply of irrigation water will enhance productivity, enable farmers to cultivate in all seasons.
Irrigation is also one of the development projects under the Kenya Kwanza government Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), which aims to empower farmers, promote food security in the country, generate employment and raise income levels within the household.
Government has continued to focus on transformative projects to realize the agriculture’s possibilities across the nation and ensure that people in places like Ol Kalou are beneficiaries.
