Dissemination forum of the Kenya Vision 2030 MTP IV 2023- 2027.
Today, the Authority’s Chairman Eng. Gilbert Maluki and CEO Eng. Charles Muasya, MBS, accompanied the PS, State Department for Irrigation, CPA Ephantus Kimotho, CBS to Masai Technical Training Institute in Kajiado County for dissemination of the Kenya Vision 2030 MTP IV 2023- 2027.
The event was presided over by the Environment, Climate Change and Forestry CS Hon.Soipan Tuya E.G.H, Kajiado County Commissioner Mr James Taari and Kajiado County Governor H.E Joseph Olelenku, EGH.
The theme for MTP IV is “Accelerating Social-economic Transformation to a More Competitive, Inclusive, and Resilient Economy: BETA for inclusive growth.” It places a heavy emphasis on irrigation to improve agricultural productivity and sustainability as it works towards achieving Kenya Vision 2030’s goals.
Focus will be on building irrigation infrastructure such as canals, dams and water storage facilities to enable effective water usage and management, as well as increasing the area under irrigation through new and renovated irrigation schemes. Water-efficient irrigation systems will be used to cut down on waste and increase efficiency.
This will be done through expansion of 300 current irrigation schemes, and harvesting water in 23 counties with arid and semi-arid terrain (ASAL). To expand the area under irrigation, 22 large-scale irrigation projects will be put in place in addition to 228 community-managed irrigation projects. Dams for integrated regional development will facilitate the production of hydroelectric power generation, irrigation and flood control.
To bridge the infrastructure gap, alternative financing via PPP’s will be encouraged, including the construction of 100 large dams, the Galana-Kulalu Food Security Project, and irrigation projects in the Tana Delta and Turkana regions. These initiatives aim to enhance food security and economic participation in a country where 84% of the land is arid and semi-arid and vulnerable to climate change.
The Authority supports the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) by increasing irrigated production of rice and maize to bridge the food deficit, create jobs, increase household income and reduce extreme poverty. This aligns with Kenya Vision 2030’s goal of expanding irrigated agriculture by developing 100,000 acres per year and MTP IV’s target of increasing the area under irrigation to 1,289,142 acres by 2027.