Kenya must rapidly expand irrigation and water storage to feed its growing population as the country faces increasing pressure from unreliable rainfall and climate change, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Sen. Mutahi Kagwe has said.

Kagwe Launches KSh79 Million Ndigiria Water Pan Project as Kenya Accelerates Irrigation Drive

Kagwe made the remarks in Bamba, Kilifi County, where he launched the KSh79 million rehabilitation of the Ndigiria Water Pan, describing the project as part of the Government’s broader strategy to expand irrigation, strengthen food security and increase agricultural production.

The CS said Kenya’s population will continue growing while the country’s land area remains unchanged, making it necessary to produce more food from every available acre.

“The population is growing and that does not mean the size of Kenya will increase. It is therefore important that we have water available to match that growth and feed our population,” Kagwe said.

He said the country could no longer depend almost entirely on rainfall to produce food, particularly as changing weather patterns make agricultural planning increasingly difficult.

Kenya must expand irrigation

Kagwe said the Government is stepping up efforts to capture and store water that would otherwise be lost during rainy seasons.

The strategy includes harvesting runoff from seasonal rivers, storing river water, rehabilitating existing dams and water pans, constructing new water storage facilities and tapping groundwater through deep boreholes where viable.

The stored water will then be channelled into agricultural production through irrigation schemes.

“Kenya cannot continue depending on rain alone to feed its people. We must have water available for agriculture so that farmers can produce whether it rains or not,” Kagwe said.

The Government is also pursuing major irrigation investments, including the Galana-Kulalu irrigation project, alongside programmes aimed at developing dams, water pans and community irrigation schemes across the country.

KSh79 million Ndigiria Water Pan rehabilitation

The Ndigiria Water Pan was established in 1963 and has now been earmarked for rehabilitation to restore its water storage capacity and support agricultural production in Bamba.

The project will support a 50-acre smallholder irrigation scheme and is expected to directly benefit more than 100 farmers.

According to the project estimates, about 4,026 people will benefit indirectly, while approximately 15,398 livestock will also gain access to water.

The rehabilitation is being implemented through the National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP).

Works will include:

  • Desilting and stabilising the water pan
  • Construction of an intake structure
  • Installation of pumping units
  • Distribution pipelines
  • Construction of balancing tanks
  • Installation of solar power systems
  • Fencing of the facility
  • Development of farm irrigation infrastructure

The investment is intended to turn stored water into a productive agricultural asset rather than simply providing a source of water.

Government wants water converted into food and incomes

Kagwe said the ultimate objective of the project is to use irrigation to create food, employment and income for households in the area.

He urged farmers benefiting from the scheme to diversify their production by combining food crops with commercially valuable crops.

Such diversification, he said, would enable households to strengthen their food supplies while creating additional sources of income.

Farmers allocated land under the irrigation scheme will also receive seeds, extension services and technical support to improve production.

The approach reflects a wider Government push to link water infrastructure with agricultural value chains rather than treating water storage as an end in itself.

Contractor ordered to protect water access

Kagwe directed the contractor undertaking the rehabilitation to implement the works in phases to ensure residents continue accessing water during construction.

He also called for the works to be accelerated so that the rehabilitated facility can capture as much runoff as possible when the rains return.

The CS further directed that livestock watering points be separated from the irrigation facility to reduce potential conflicts between livestock use and agricultural water requirements.

He also instructed the contractor to prioritise local residents when recruiting workers for the project.

Roads critical to irrigation success

Kagwe said irrigation infrastructure must be supported by roads and other facilities that allow farmers to move their produce from farms to markets.

He therefore called for the road leading to the Ndigiria Water Pan to be graded.

The CS also pledged to champion improvements to the wider Bamba road network at the Cabinet level, arguing that better roads would strengthen the economic benefits generated by the irrigation investment.

For farmers, access to water without reliable market infrastructure could limit the commercial potential of increased production.

Irrigation becomes increasingly important for Kenya’s food security

The Ndigiria project comes as Kenya seeks to reduce its vulnerability to unreliable rainfall and increase agricultural productivity.

Rain-fed farming remains dominant across much of the country, leaving farmers exposed to droughts, delayed rains and other extreme weather events.

Expanding irrigation could allow farmers to produce more consistently and increase the number of cropping cycles where water and other conditions permit.

Water storage infrastructure could also reduce the loss of runoff during heavy rains while providing communities with a resource that can be used during dry periods.

For Kenya, the challenge is increasingly clear: a growing population requires more food, but agricultural land cannot expand indefinitely.

Increasing productivity through irrigation, improved inputs, climate-smart farming, extension services and better market access will therefore become increasingly important to the country’s food security strategy.

The rehabilitation of the Ndigiria Water Pan is one of the projects being used to advance that approach, with the Government seeking to transform previously underutilised water resources into productive agricultural infrastructure.

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