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Gratitude to PS Kimotho for Championing Oloolua Forest, Nairobi’s Green Treasure

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Dear PS CPA Ephantus Kimotho, When you first stepped into the arena of environmental leadership, few outside government circles could have predicted the depth of your commitment to the land, the trees, the people, and the future that hangs beautifully on Kenya’s green horizons. Today, I want to thank you; not for a single event or a moment, but for a pattern of dedication that has brought hope back to Oloolua Forest, our city’s lungs, our natural classroom, and a refuge of both life and memory. There is something deeply human about a forest; a place where soil and sun and water knit themselves into canopy and shade and air we find ourselves breathing a little more easily. For so many of us in Nairobi, Oloolua isn’t just trees and trails; it is heritage. It is history. It is connection to a time before concrete swallowed horizon lines and to a future where nature and city can exist not as rivals but as companions. You know this place well: its ancient paths that echo the footsteps of fr...
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What Oloolua CARE Reveals About Kenya’s Irrigation and Climate Financing

There is a quiet shift happening in Kenya’s approach to irrigation , conservation , and climate resilience , and it is becoming visible in places many would not immediately associate with agricultural policy. Oloolua Forest , part of the Ngong Forest ecosystem , has now emerged as one of those places. What may appear at first glance as a conservation effort is, in reality, something deeper. It is a test case for how Kenya could finance and sustain its irrigation and water security agenda going forward. At the center of this shift is the Oloolua CARE Initiative , anchored on six pillars that bring together conservation, livelihoods, clean water, circular economy , clean energy , and climate-smart agriculture . This framework signals a move away from fragmented interventions toward a more integrated and financially conscious model of development. It is not just about planting trees or fencing forests. It is about redefining how natural resources are protected, funded, and linked to eco...
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PS Kimotho adopts Ololua Forest ahead of International Day of Forests

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Ephantus Kimotho , Principal Secretary for Irrigation, has formally adopted Ololua Forest at a time when Kenya is preparing to mark the International Day of Forests . PS Kimotho's Bold Adoption of Ololua Forest CPA Ephantus Kimotho, Principal Secretary for Irrigation, has taken a decisive and forward-looking step by adopting Ololua Forest in Kajiado County . Ololua, one of the three distinct blocks that make up Ngong Forest , now has in PS Kimotho not just a patron, but an active champion for its restoration. His move signals a deliberate effort to bridge irrigation development with forest conservation in a way that directly benefits both ecosystems and communities. It reflects a clear understanding that water security and forest health are inseparable. Healthy forests regulate water cycles, recharge catchments, and sustain irrigation systems. By stepping into this role, PS Kimotho is not merely endorsing conservation, he is embedding it into the country’s development agenda. His ...
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Government Invites Proposals for the High Grand Falls Dam Project

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  The Government of Kenya has taken a significant step toward advancing large-scale water and energy infrastructure with the issuance of a Request for Proposals (RFP) for transaction advisory services for the Kibuka (High Grand) Falls Hydropower and Irrigation Dam Project . The RFP, issued by the State Department for Public Investments and Assets Management under the National Treasury , seeks qualified consulting firms to guide the structuring and development of this ambitious project under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) framework. The notice invites experienced firms to provide transaction advisory services that will support the preparation, financial structuring, and implementation strategy of the project. Through this process, the government aims to ensure that the dam project is technically sound, financially viable, and attractive to potential investors. The advisory process will play a crucial role in transforming the project concept into a bankable investment opport...
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Joel Tanui champions Kenya’s Rice Production Goals during Thailand Visit

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When Kenya’s Irrigation Secretary for Land Reclamation, Climate Resilience and Irrigation Water Management, Mr. Joel Tanui , visited Thailand’s irrigation and rice institutions in Chiang Mai , the significance went far beyond diplomatic exchange. It was a strategic benchmarking mission .  At its core was a simple but urgent question: how did Thailand move from food insecurity to becoming one of the world’s leading rice exporters , and what can Kenya practically replicate? For a country like Kenya, where rice imports still fill part of the national consumption gap, the lessons from Thailand are not academic. They are economic. They are strategic. And they are deeply relevant to the future of irrigation, climate resilience , and food security. Why Thailand Matters to Kenya’s Irrigation Ambition Thailand made a deliberate decision decades ago to stabilize its agriculture through irrigation. Instead of relying on seasonal rainfall, it invested in dams , canals, and structured wat...
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What FY 2026/27 Irrigation Budget Means for Food Security

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When the Departmental Committee on Blue Economy, Water and Irrigation convened this week under the chairmanship of Hon. Kangongo Bowen the session went beyond routine fiscal oversight. It became a strategic checkpoint on how Kenya intends to future-proof its agriculture in the face of climate volatility .  Appearing before the Committee to present the State Department for Irrigation’s FY 2026/27 Budget Policy Statement (BPS), Irrigation PS Ephantus Kimotho outlined a blueprint that positions irrigation not as a sectoral intervention, but as a structural pillar of national stability. The engagement provided Parliament with a comprehensive update on progress, priorities and the fiscal architecture required to sustain irrigation expansion. More importantly, it reinforced a central message: irrigation is no longer a complementary input to agriculture, it is becoming its backbone. Climate Reality and the End of Rain-Fed Certainty Kenya’s agricultural model has long been tethered...
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Okundi Dam Project Signals New Lifeline for Karachuonyo Farmers

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  The Government has continued to anchor irrigation development at the centre of local economic transformation, recognising water as both a productive asset and a stabilising force for communities facing climate uncertainty . This policy direction was evident during an inspection of the ongoing Okundi Dam Irrigation Project in Karachuonyo Constituency , Homa Bay County , led by Principal Secretary for Irrigation CPA Ephantus Kimotho , alongside Hon. Adipo Okuome , the Deputy County Commissioner, and senior officials from the County Government. The visit offered an opportunity not only to assess construction progress, but also to engage beneficiaries and reaffirm the strategic intent behind the investment. At Okundi, irrigation is being deployed as a practical solution to long-standing constraints that have limited agricultural productivity and household incomes. The project reflects a deliberate effort by the State Department for Irrigation to move beyond seasonal interventions ...
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