NIA Hosts The Cabinet Secretary for Water, Sanitation and Irrigation, Eng. Eric Mugaa for Progress Review at Mwea Irrigation Development Project and Scheme
The Cabinet Secretary for Water, Sanitation and Irrigation, Eng. Eric Mugaa, undertook a comprehensive working visit to the Mwea Irrigation Development Project (MIDP) and the Mwea Irrigation Scheme to assess ongoing works and overall project performance.
The Cabinet Secretary was received by the Kirinyaga County Deputy Governor, Hon. David Githanda Wachira, the Member of Parliament for Mwea Constituency, Hon. Mary Maingi, the Chairman of the National Irrigation Authority (NIA) Board Eng. Gilbert Maluki, the CEO of NIA, Eng. Charles Muasya among other senior government officials.
The tour commenced at the Mwea Irrigation Development Project (MIDP), where the CS received a detailed briefing on the progress of civil works under the ongoing expansion canals. The project supports the stabilization and improvement of irrigation water for the scheme and includes major infrastructure such as the Diversion Works, Link Canal III, Mutithi Branch Canal III and other associated infrastructure.
The project forms part of the larger development goal of enhancing irrigation efficiency across Mwea, which is supported by the scheme’s network of main canals, branch canals, and feeder lines mapped across the MIDP packages.
The CS later visited the Mwea Irrigation Scheme to inspect the ongoing production activities. Mwea is the oldest public irrigation scheme in Kenya having been established in 1954 and covers a gazetted area of 30,356 acres, with 21,371 acres irrigated in the main scheme and an additional 11,271 acres under expansion. The Scheme supports 15,905 farmers, relying on water from Rivers Thiba and Nyamindi, conveyed mainly through partially lined open canals and irrigated using the basin irrigation system.
The Scheme is predominantly rice-producing, with rice accounting for 96% of all crops grown, alongside horticultural crops such as tomatoes and French beans.
At Karaba Section, the CS received an update on ongoing rice production, followed by an inspection of the lined K3 Feeder Canal. He later joined farmers in the Wamumu Section in rice harvesting.
The Scheme remains one of Kenya’s largest rice producers, contributing an annual milled rice output of up to 160,000 MT, supporting over 100 local millers, and generating a total economic value of Ksh 25 billion annually, with farmers earning approximately Ksh 12.7 billion.
The visit concluded at the Mwea Irrigation Scheme Guest House, where the CS held a consultative meeting with farmer leaders to review progress, identify existing challenges including aged infrastructure and the spread of the Golden Apple Snail and evaluate emerging needs aimed at improving productivity and irrigation management across the Scheme.