A visibly frustrated President William Ruto sought clarity from a Chinese contractor and Water Cabinet Secretary Eric Muuga in Busia County on Wednesday, over a proposed change in irrigation construction works.
The Head of State, who was launching the Lower Nzoia Irrigation Project Phase I-Lot 2, wanted more land availed for rice farming, a mandate that the constructor said was out of scope for the project.
The Lower Nzoia Irrigation Project, initiated in June 2018, is an agricultural development project aimed at enhancing food security and livelihoods in Busia and Siaya counties.
Phase I of the project, which is on track for completion by May 2025, involves the irrigation of approximately 10,000 acres—1,508 hectares in Busia County and 2,535 hectares in Siaya County.
The project is designed to diversify agricultural production by allocating 50 per cent of the irrigated area to high-value fruits and vegetables, while the remaining area will support rotational crops such as rice, soybeans, maize, and legumes.
However, Ruto who was visiting the site asked whether the contractor could dredge more land to create space for more rice farming.
“What if we do more dredging to get more land to grow rice” Ruto asked. He went on to inquire from the contractor and the Cabinet Secretary for Water and Irrigation Eric Muuga what is needed.
The CS jumped to respond to the President saying, “Allow us to do a proper study,” but Ruto jumped in telling him, “I don’t want a study. We need to complete this. We have been doing this for 11 years.
He went on to ask the contractor, “How do you drain the excess water to the lake?”
The contractor told the president all that is needed is to create a drainage system, adding that it is ‘simple. However, when Ruto asked for it to be done, the contractor said, “It is not in our scope of work.”
Ruto directed that CS Muuga and the contractor work on a scope for the drainage system and see that it is added to the project. “Between the two of you, work out the numbers for that final dredging so that we remove the backflow,” Ruto directed.
The Lower Nzoia Irrigation Project is expected to generate an estimated Ksh4.8 billion annually for farmers and empower approximately 30,000 individuals with valuable agricultural skills.
