Farmers in Nandi County are set to benefit from improved access to irrigation water as the government moves to rehabilitate three small dams in Mosop Constituency to boost food production and reduce reliance on rainfall.
Principal Secretary for Irrigation Ephantus Kimotho inspected Ndalat Dam on Friday, October 16, as the government prepares to restore the facility and expand irrigation opportunities for local farmers.
The rehabilitation is expected to bring 17 acres of farmland under irrigation and benefit 68 households in the surrounding area.
Kimotho said the government was responding to residents’ long-standing demand for reliable water supplies, which would help farmers increase production and diversify into high-value crops.
“The President has heard your cry for water,” Kimotho told residents during the inspection.
The project is expected to help farmers reduce crop losses during dry periods and improve the consistency of their harvests. Residents currently grow tea, coffee, cereals and horticultural crops.
Ndalat Dam was constructed during the colonial period to provide water for livestock, domestic use and farming. However, years of inadequate maintenance have reduced its capacity to serve the surrounding community.
The planned works include removing accumulated silt, papyrus and reeds, stabilising eroded sections of the embankment and constructing a spillway to improve water management and dam safety.
The government expects the project to create jobs during construction and generate additional economic opportunities once the irrigation scheme becomes operational.
The inspection brought together officials from the State Department for Irrigation and the National Irrigation Authority, including Irrigation Secretary Joel Tanui and NIA Chief Executive Officer Charles Muasya.
Nandi Deputy Governor Yulitah Mitei Cheruiyot and Mosop MP Abraham Kirwa also attended the inspection.
The planned rehabilitation forms part of the government’s wider efforts to expand smallholder irrigation, strengthen food security and help farming communities cope with changing weather patterns.
