The Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation on Friday, March 21 officially launched the National Irrigation Sector Investment Plan (NISIP).
The Cabinet Secretary in charge of the Ministry, Eric Mugaa, presided over the event—on behalf of President William Ruto—at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).
The Kenya Kwanza administration hopes that the launch of the NISIP will revolutionise irrigation in the country in terms of enhancing coordination and financing, with the aim of increasing food production, improve water management, and in turn create jobs, particularly in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs).
NISIP aims to realise its objectives by identifying five complementary development pathways. These pathways include; investments in the grass roots farmers through the Farmer Led Irrigation Development (FLID); improving performance of public schemes through governance, management and modernization; promotion of commercially oriented irrigated farming undertaken by private parties; revitalizing of irrigation in ASALS through provision of water; and maximizing community irrigation schemes benefits.
It is through this five pathways that the 10-year blue print is targeting to put an additional 1,000,000 acres under irrigation at an estimated cost of about KSh598 billion.
“As we embark on implementing NISIP, we are calling on board all the stakeholders and players in the irrigation sector to join us and plug into any of the five pathways. Together we will make Kenya food secure through NISIP,” CS Mugaa said during the launch, explaining that 61% of the KSh598 billion will come from the private sector, while 39% will come from public funding.
According to CS Mugaa, NISIP has elucidated a pragmatic framework of attracting private sector investments into the irrigation space by creating numerous opportunities for irrigation technology providers, aggregators, local banks and micro-finance institutions and — under Public Private Partnership (PPP) framework — large commercial investors and managers.
“It is projected that on full realization of the NISIP plan, the irrigated land will generate annual revenue estimated at KSh240 billion, support over 700,000 heads of cattle, create over five million jobs directly and indirectly and reduce the countries import deficit,” CS Mugaa added.
Among those who attended the launch include; PS State Department for Irrigation Ephantus Kimotho, Turkana County Governor Jeremiah Ekamais Lomorukai Napotikan, Director and Chief Executive Officer Equity Group Holdings, Dr. James Mwangi, the immediate President Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) Dr. Agnes Kalibata, Global Director for the World Bank Group’s Water Global Practice (GP) MR. Saroj Kumar Jha and the Deputy Ambassador, embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany Mr. Alexander Fierley.
