THE PRESIDENT OFFICIALLY COMMISSIONS BURA GRAVITY CANAL – LOT 2: KORAKORA – NANIGHI IN BURA CONSTITUENCY, TANA RIVER COUNTY.

On February 27, 2025, H.E. Hon. William Samoei Ruto, PhD., CGH. President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-In-Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces accompanied by Several Cabinet Secretaries and leaders from Tana River County commissioned Bura Gravity Canal- Lot 2 : Korakora – Nanighi in Bura Constituency, Tana River County.

They were received by the Cabinet Secretary Ministry of water, Sanitation & Irrigation Eng. Eric Mugaa, Principal Secretary State Department for Irrigation CPA Ephantus Kimotho CBS, Authority’s Chairman of the Board Eng. Gilbert Maluki, Chief Executive Officer Eng. Charles Muasya, MBS and other senior officials from the Authority.

Commissioning of the 26KM gravity canal marks a new era in Bura Irrigation Scheme with farmers set to continue getting irrigation water through gravity.

The Project objectives of Lot 2 were installation of a gravity fed system and decommissioning the costly pump fed system, increasing supply from the current 3m3/sec to 11 M3/sec and increase irrigation area from 12,000 acres to 25,000 acres.

The project benefits are enhanced food and nutrition security (76,000MT of rice per year and 500,000 bags of maize per year), boosting the economy from Kshs. 1.5 billion per year to Kshs. 6.5 billion per year, increase employment from 30,000 to 150, 000 jobs, promote industrialization through farming of cotton, sunflower, soya beans, and cereal processing, save the pumping cost of Kshs. 120 million per year, enable crop production intensification and increase number of project beneficiary from 2,500 to 10,000 households.

The President was very pleased with the completion of the project noting that the Government is working to improve lives across the entire country and making sure all areas benefit from its development plans. He urged farmers to fully utilise the water for irrigated agriculture to achieve the full potential of Bura Irrigation Scheme thus increasing food production in the country in line with Botton-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BeTA).