Irrigation PS Champions Better Project Management in Public Sector

In a nation striving to build world-class infrastructure and deliver essential services to its people, few obstacles are as frustrating—or as costly—as project delays. They drain public resources, stall progress, and erode trust. Yet, for too long, they have remained a persistent feature of Kenya’s development landscape. On Friday, however, a powerful voice in government spoke directly to this national challenge and signalled a renewed determination to overcome it.

Principal Secretary for the State Department for Irrigation, Ephantus Kimotho, was the chief guest at the launch of Eliminating Project Delays and Cost Overruns, a newly published book by the esteemed project management specialist Mr. Nahashon Okowa. The book tackles a problem that continues to undermine effective service delivery across both public and private sectors: delays in project execution and the ballooning of budgets beyond initial estimates.

During the launch, the PS acknowledged the scale and frequency of these issues, observing that delayed projects and rising costs often reduce the intended impact of development initiatives, shortchanging communities and taxpayers alike. His remarks, however, were not just diagnostic—they were solution-oriented, drawing attention to recent government wins and a sharpened internal focus on project discipline within the irrigation docket.

A New Era of Institutional Discipline

It was clear from the PS’s address that the state department of Irrigation is not sitting back and watching the cycle of inefficiency repeat itself. The State Department for Irrigation, under his leadership, is taking deliberate steps to enhance internal project management capabilities. This includes strengthening monitoring frameworks, improving coordination mechanisms, and empowering technical teams to respond faster to risks and bottlenecks.

For a department charged with implementing high-impact, capital-intensive irrigation schemes that support national food security, these reforms are more than administrative—they are existential. Timely delivery of such projects means more water for farmers, better yields, greater incomes, and a more food-secure Kenya.

The PS’s remarks underscored a growing recognition that engineering expertise alone is not enough. Project success in the 21st century demands managerial foresight, stakeholder alignment, and the ability to pre-empt risks before they spiral into full-blown crises. And in a country where public infrastructure projects frequently overrun both budgets and schedules, this kind of thinking is long overdue.

Success Stories Speak Louder Than Promises

Importantly, the PS did not speak from a place of theory. He drew from a track record of successful project completions that the State Department has recently delivered, highlighting the Mwea Irrigation Scheme, the Bura Irrigation Project, and the Lower Nzoia Irrigation Project among others. These are not small feats. They represent the application of best practices in planning, resource mobilization, and stakeholder engagement.

What these successes prove is that with proper leadership, rigorous oversight, and technical integrity, project delays and cost overruns are not inevitable—they are preventable. And while many challenges remain, the State Department for Irrigation is increasingly showing that it has the will and the capacity to do better.

A Thoughtful Moment in Kenya’s Development Discourse

The launch of Mr. Okowa’s book came at a timely moment. As Kenya continues to push forward with ambitious infrastructure programs under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), the stakes have never been higher. Every shilling spent must count. Every delay avoided matters. And every lesson learned must be applied.

The PS’s participation in the book launch was therefore significant not just in ceremonial terms, but in substance. It was a signal that the government is willing to listen, reflect, and partner with the private sector and thought leaders to improve how things are done. The fact that a senior official took time to engage with literature that critically examines institutional weaknesses is, in itself, a mark of humility and progress.

It also reflects the kind of leadership ethos that PS Ephantus Kimotho continues to model—one that does not shy away from hard truths, but rather embraces them as starting points for change. Under his guidance, the Department is fostering a culture where results matter more than optics, and where systemic issues are addressed head-on.

The Real Cost of Delays: More Than Just Money

Delays in project execution are often measured in cost overruns, but the true toll is far deeper. Communities wait longer for water, hospitals take years to complete, and schools miss critical resources. In the case of irrigation schemes, delays mean missed planting seasons, food insecurity, and prolonged poverty.

For smallholder farmers depending on government interventions, a year-long delay can be the difference between subsistence and surplus. For youth seeking employment on infrastructure sites, such delays rob them of opportunity. And for taxpayers, the outcome is often frustration and cynicism.

That is why the State Department’s renewed focus on internal project management capacity is not just technical—it is moral. It is about restoring trust in public institutions and ensuring that government delivers on its promises efficiently and transparently.

The Way Forward: Institutionalising Efficiency

Going forward, the challenge is to institutionalise the principles echoed during the book launch. It is one thing to acknowledge that delays and cost overruns are a problem. It is another to embed systems that prevent them.

This means building strong project management units within ministries, digitising monitoring and evaluation processes, and ensuring that procurement and contracting are done with accountability and clarity. It also means involving local communities in oversight, so that they can flag challenges early and demand timelines be honoured.

For the State Department for Irrigation, this will involve continuous capacity building, clear performance benchmarks, and collaboration with professional bodies in engineering, quantity surveying, and project management. With PS Kimotho at the helm, there is every indication that this journey is already underway.

A Moment of Reckoning—and Opportunity

Friday’s book launch was not just a nod to an author’s contribution to the public discourse. It was a moment of reckoning for a country that can no longer afford business as usual. With growing debt, tightening fiscal space, and rising public expectations, Kenya must make every project count.

And that begins with acknowledging, as the PS did, that project delays and cost overruns are more than paperwork issues—they are national development risks. By addressing them decisively, the State Department for Irrigation is setting a tone that other departments would do well to emulate.

The Kenyan people deserve efficiency. They deserve timely service delivery. And they deserve a government that takes responsibility, learns from the past, and commits to doing better.

With leaders like Ephantus Kimotho, that future no longer feels out of reach—it feels like it's already being built. 

Article by Victor Patience Oyuko.  To buy coffee: 0708883777