KENYA MOJA

  The Government has intensified its push to reposition irrigation as a central pillar of Kenya’s climate resilience and food security strategy, with a renewed focus on how water infrastructure, ecosystems, and finance intersect. This direction was clearly articulated during a high-level brainstorming engagement between the State Department for Irrigation, led by Principal Secretary CPA Ephantus Kimotho , and the leadership of CIFOR-ICRAF , headed by Director General and CEO Dr Éliane Ubalijoro . The discussion centred on a shared ambition to green Kenya’s six priority dams while unlocking climate finance and translating the country’s vast natural endowments into productive, climate-resilient agriculture. At its core, the engagement reflected a deliberate shift in how irrigation policy is being framed. No longer viewed merely as an engineering or water delivery function, irrigation is increasingly being positioned as a system that integrates land, water, forests, finance, and d...

On Tuesday, 3 February 2026, the Nguruman plains in Kajiado West Constituency offered more than a routine project stopover. Principal Secretary for Irrigation, CPA Ephantus Kimotho, CBS , was on site to inspect the Nguruman Irrigation Project , but the visit carried broader policy significance. It reflected how Kenya’s irrigation agenda is increasingly being framed not as isolated infrastructure delivery, but as a system-wide response to climate risk, food insecurity, and rural livelihoods. The inspection brought together beneficiary farmers, local leaders, technical officers, and implementing stakeholders. Its purpose was straightforward but consequential. The Principal Secretary assessed the status of ongoing rehabilitation works, reviewed progress against project objectives, and listened directly to community feedback on how the project is reshaping agricultural production and household incomes. In doing so, the visit reinforced a recurring theme in PS Kimotho’s approach to irri...

In the semi-arid heart of Kajiado County, where climate uncertainty has long shaped both livelihoods and limits, the Nguruman Irrigation Scheme is quietly redefining how Kenya thinks about adaptation, food security, and rural development. Along the banks of the Ewaso Ng’iro River , a project once viewed as a local intervention is increasingly being read as a national policy statement: that irrigation, when designed as climate infrastructure rather than emergency relief, can anchor resilience in some of the country’s most vulnerable landscapes. For decades, Nguruman has lived with contradiction. Fertile soils and year-round sunlight offered promise, yet the same river that sustained agriculture repeatedly erased it. Seasonal floods washed away crops and homesteads, while prolonged dry spells left farmers exposed to the volatility of rain-fed agriculture. The result was a cycle of loss that discouraged investment and locked households into subsistence production. The current phase o...

  Kenya’s irrigation ambition is clear, deliberate, and increasingly urgent. Yet between policy intent and water reaching farms lies a persistent obstacle that Irrigation Principal Secretary Ephantus Kimotho has repeatedly and consistently articulated: the funding gap. This gap is not abstract. It is measurable, structural, and consequential. It determines whether irrigation plans remain well-written documents or become functioning systems that secure food, stabilise rural incomes, and shield the country from climate shocks. Over the past few years, PS Kimotho has framed irrigation financing not as a budgeting inconvenience but as a national development constraint. His argument has been consistent across forums, stakeholder engagements, and policy platforms. Kenya does not suffer from a lack of irrigation potential. It suffers from fragmented, insufficient, and poorly structured financing for irrigation infrastructure and services. The Scale of the Irrigation Ambition Kenya’s ir...

The Government has continued to position irrigation at the centre of Kenya’s climate response and food security strategy, with the State Department for Irrigation steadily opening new pathways for sustainable investment, innovation, and collaboration. This direction was clearly reflected when Irrigation Principal Secretary Ephantus Kimotho hosted a delegation from the Global Green Growth Institute at Maji House in Nairobi, an engagement that went beyond courtesy and into the substance of how Kenya can future-proof its irrigation sector. The meeting brought together policy leadership and global expertise at a time when irrigation is no longer viewed simply as a means of boosting crop yields, but as a critical tool for climate adaptation , rural transformation, and inclusive economic growth. For PS Kimotho, the engagement aligned squarely with the department’s broader push to translate national plans into practical, bankable, and climate-resilient solutions for farmers across the c...

  Kenya is entering a defining phase in its irrigation and water security journey as the State Department for Irrigation prepares to roll out one of the most ambitious infrastructure programmes in its history.  In 2026, six mega dams are scheduled for construction across different regions of the country, signalling a decisive shift towards large-scale, planned irrigation as a pillar of national development. Anchored within the Government’s broader food security and climate resilience agenda, the programme reflects a growing recognition that water infrastructure is not merely a technical investment, but a strategic economic and social imperative. At the centre of this transition is the Principal Secretary for Irrigation, CPA Ephantus Kimotho, whose stewardship has increasingly emphasised scale, coordination, and long-term impact. The planned dams—Lowaat in Turkana, Radat in Baringo, Thuci in Embu, Basingila in Isiolo, High Falls serving Kitui and Tharaka Nithi, and the Galana ...