Some 1,668 households in Othaya constituency are set to benefit from improved agricultural production after the Government launched a Sh 439 million irrigation project.

The Karima-Kabutu project will cover about 834 acres of farmland providing reliable water supply to support agricultural production throughout the year.

The multi-million project is expected to boost the production of cabbages, tomatoes, peas, potatoes and fruits.

Speaking during the launch of the project, Deputy President Professor Kithure Kindiki said the project is part of the commitment by the Kenya Kwanza administration to expand irrigation infrastructure across the country and strengthen the resilience of farmers facing unpredictable weather patterns occasioned by climate change.

Professor Kindiki noted that by providing a reliable source of water, the project will further boost crop yields and enhance food security in the constituency which is famed for tea production.

He said that the project will equally strengthen rural livelihoods by creating employment opportunities and promote agribusiness from the sale of surplus farm produce.

“This project is being done in honour of the third President of this country, the late Mwai Kibaki who served this nation diligently and with patriotism. It will contribute to the government’s drought mitigation and climate resilience efforts by cushioning farmers against the impacts of erratic rainfall and climate change. The agricultural production is also expected to stimulate the overall economic growth of the county by creating employment opportunities in the agriculture sector,” said the DP.

Speaking when he accompanied the DP for the commissioning of the project, Principal Secretary in the State Department for Irrigation, Ephantus Kimotho, said that the irrigation project is aligned with the Government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda(BETA) on food security and agricultural productivity.

“This irrigation project is firmly aligned with BETA, particularly its focus on food security, job creation, agricultural productivity and better livelihoods. By expanding access to reliable water supply, we are helping farmers move from rain-fed agriculture to more productive, climate-resilient farming, which will contribute to the country’s wider food and economic transformation,” said Kimotho.

He said the project will take two years to complete and will source its water from River Thuti and channel it to farms located in Karima and Kabutu.

The project will entail the construction of intake works, sedimentation tanks, conveyance pipelines, a mainline, sub-mains and two distribution systems that will serve Iria-ini and Witima wards.

The works will also include the construction of in-field irrigation systems and auxiliary structures, including gulley and river crossings.

Kimotho said that in addition to supporting agricultural production, the project will also provide water for domestic use, further improving living standards of communities living within the project area.

“Farmers can expect to earn an average gross annual income of roughly Sh 750,000 per acre, which shows how much the project can lift agricultural productivity and household incomes,” he said.

by Wangari Mwangi and Samuel Maina