A parliamentary committee has raised the alarm over delays in completing key irrigation projects, warning that thousands of acres of farmland remain idle despite heavy government investment in the sector.
Members of the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Blue Economy, Water and Irrigation were told that Kenya currently has about 763,000 acres under irrigation, far below the country’s estimated potential of more than 3 million acres, highlighting the scale of untapped agricultural capacity.
During a meeting on Tuesday, March 10, chaired by Kangongo Bowen, lawmakers received a progress briefing from the State Department for Irrigation led by Principal Secretary Ephantus Kimotho.
Kimotho told the committee that the government is targeting an expansion of irrigated land to over 1 million acres through large-scale investments under the National Irrigation Sector Investment Plan.
According to the PS, the plan focuses on developing major dams to support commercial irrigation, expanding smallholder irrigation schemes, promoting farmer-led irrigation initiatives, and strengthening drought resilience programmes in arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs).
Lawmakers were also briefed on plans to significantly boost local rice production, with the government aiming to increase output from the current 305,000 metric tonnes to about 700,000 metric tonnes.
The target will largely rely on the expansion and rehabilitation of major irrigation schemes including Mwea Irrigation Scheme, Ahero Irrigation Scheme, Lower Kuja Irrigation Scheme, and South West Kano Irrigation Scheme.
However, Kimotho emphasized that projects already above 70 percent completion must be prioritised for funding to quickly unlock thousands of acres currently awaiting final infrastructure works.
The committee also received updates on several national irrigation initiatives, among them the Galana Kulalu Food Security Project, Bura Irrigation Scheme, and the Turkana Irrigation Development Project, alongside a number of community-based irrigation programmes aimed at strengthening climate resilience.
Despite the challenges, lawmakers commended the State Department for expanding irrigated acreage by more than 100,000 acres and increasing rice production by over 110,000 metric tonnes through improved irrigation infrastructure and water harvesting projects.
Bowen urged the department to explore innovative financing models beyond government funding to accelerate new irrigation developments while ensuring existing projects are completed on time to guarantee value for public money.
The meeting comes as the government seeks to strengthen food production under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, with irrigation seen as a key pillar in reducing dependence on rain-fed agriculture.