Cabinet Secretary for Water, Sanitation and Irrigation, Eng. Eric Mugaa, has welcomed the steady progress of large-scale sugarcane farming at the Bura Irrigation Scheme in Tana River County, describing it as a major boost to food security and local livelihoods.
The CS toured the project on Tuesday, where he saw first-hand how the newly commissioned gravity-fed canal, launched by President William Ruto, is transforming Bura into a key agricultural zone through partnerships with private investors.
“The water is now flowing, the land is productive, and investors are confident. This is what development looks like on the ground,” Mugaa said.
One of the investors, Tana River Sugar Company, has leased 700 acres for sugarcane seed trials. The company planted its first crop in June last year, and the cane is now ready for harvest.
From just one centre pivot covering 75 acres, the project has grown fast. Six more pivots have been installed, pushing the area under seed cane to 525 acres.
The government is now preparing to release an additional 85,000 acres for development by three private investors. Of this, 50,000 acres will go to sugarcane and 35,000 acres to rice, a move expected to create jobs and lift household incomes in the region.
According to the CS, the project fits squarely within the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BeTA), which focuses on empowering communities through agriculture and enterprise.
He was accompanied by PS for Irrigation Ephantus Kimotho, NIA Board Chair Eng. Gilbert Maluki, NIA CEO Eng. Charles Muasya, Tana River Sugar Company GM Hezekiah Muleshe, and Tana River County Commissioner Joseph Mwangi.