Kenya Turns to Clean Energy at Hola Irrigation Scheme to Power Food Security

By Victor Patience Oyuko 

On Wednesday, 20 August 2025, the story of Kenya’s irrigation journey gained a new chapter in Tana River County. The Hola Irrigation Scheme, a project that has fed communities and anchored livelihoods for decades, is now poised for a renaissance.

The Principal Secretary for Irrigation, CPA Ephantus Kimotho, together with Eng. Gilbert Maluki, Chairman of the National Irrigation Authority (NIA), and Eng. Charles Muasya, CEO of NIA, walked the fields and canals of Hola. The purpose was not ceremonial, it was about charting the next phase of a bold plan that could position Hola as Kenya’s national rice hub.

Immediate Priorities: Expanding and Rehabilitating Land

For farmers in Hola, land has never been the problem. The challenge has always been water management and infrastructure. On Wednesday, PS Kimotho made clear that change was already underway.

The priorities were ambitious but achievable: expand 3,000 acres of irrigated land, rehabilitate 4,500 acres, desilt canals, upgrade reservoirs, and improve intakes. Each of these interventions carried more than technical significance. Together, they represented new hope for farmers who had seen their yields constrained by failing canals and outdated systems.

By focusing on the basics, clean canals, efficient reservoirs, and modern intakes, the scheme was moving from survival mode to productivity mode.

Powering Irrigation with Clean Energy

Perhaps the most transformative milestone revealed that day was the shift from diesel to grid electricity at the pumping station. For years, farmers had watched their profits evaporate into the cost of diesel fuel, making irrigation expensive and unsustainable.

The connection of the pumping station to the national grid has now cut farmers’ operation and maintenance costs by 70 percent. In one stroke, the scheme reduced production costs while contributing to climate mitigation. Clean energy is no longer an abstract idea for global conferences, it is powering pumps in Hola, directly benefiting the farmer tilling the land.

The savings farmers will make could be redirected into improving farm inputs, expanding acreage, and investing in better livelihoods for their families.

The Promise of High Grand Falls Dam

As significant as Hola’s upgrades are, an even bigger future lies on the horizon. The upcoming High Grand Falls Dam promises to expand Hola’s irrigation capacity by an additional 12,000 acres.

That single expansion has the power to shift Hola from being a local irrigation scheme to a national rice production hub. Kenya currently imports a significant share of the rice consumed in households. With Hola producing at scale, those import bills could fall, saving the country billions while securing a staple food crop at home.

The dam is not only about more acres. It is about building resilience against drought, enabling multiple harvests in a year, and anchoring an agro-industrial ecosystem around storage, milling, and market linkages.

Rice at the Heart of Food Security

Rice has become one of the fastest-growing staples in Kenyan diets, especially in urban centres. Yet, local production has not kept pace. The result has been high imports from Asia, exposing households to global price fluctuations and draining foreign exchange.

Hola’s transformation offers a chance to change that equation. By focusing on rice production at scale, the scheme will not only feed Kenyans but also stabilise prices. Farmers will be assured of reliable markets, while consumers will benefit from affordability.

This is why Hola’s revival carries national significance, it touches the dinner tables of millions.

Farmers as Partners in Change

Infrastructure alone does not guarantee success. The people who matter most are the farmers who depend on Hola for their livelihoods. On Wednesday, they were not left behind.

PS Kimotho was joined by the Irrigation Secretary, Mr. Joel Tanui, local leaders, county officials, and farmer representatives. The message was clear: reforms would only succeed if farmers were part of the conversation.

Community stakeholders welcomed the changes and reaffirmed their commitment to work hand in hand with government. Their voices reminded everyone present that irrigation is not about canals and pumps alone, it is about dignity, opportunity, and legacy for future generations.

From Rehabilitation to Transformation

The rehabilitation of 4,500 acres is not just about restoring land. It is about undoing years of neglect, bringing idle land back into production, and ensuring farmers reap the benefits of every drop of water flowing through the canals.

Desilting the canals, meanwhile, is a technical but vital intervention. Silted waterways reduce efficiency, choke off irrigation, and waste resources. By clearing them, Hola is reclaiming lost capacity and ensuring that water moves where it is needed most, the farms.

Upgrading reservoirs and intakes ensures that water storage and distribution are modernised. These systems act as the backbone of irrigation, holding and directing water in ways that maximise productivity and minimise waste.

Reducing Costs, Raising Confidence

For years, high production costs have discouraged many smallholder farmers. Irrigation powered by diesel pumps was expensive, and unpredictable fuel prices only worsened the situation.

By switching to grid electricity, Hola has shown what is possible when modern infrastructure meets farmer needs. Costs have dropped by 70 percent. That figure is not just a number; it is the difference between loss and profit, between despair and renewed confidence.

With production costs lowered, farmers are better positioned to compete in the market, ensuring that rice from Hola is not only abundant but also affordable.

Climate Mitigation in Action

The global challenge of climate change can often feel distant to smallholder farmers. But in Hola, the move from diesel to clean energy is a concrete example of climate action with local benefits. Reduced emissions from pumps mean healthier air and a smaller carbon footprint. At the same time, farmers gain financial relief.

This dual win, climate mitigation and cost reduction, positions Hola as a model irrigation scheme for the future.

Hola’s Future as a National Hub

With 3,000 new acres, 4,500 rehabilitated acres, and 12,000 more acres on the horizon with High Grand Falls Dam, Hola is no longer just a county-level project. It is emerging as a pillar of Kenya’s food security strategy.

Beyond production, plans for storage, milling, and market linkages will ensure that rice grown in Hola does not suffer post-harvest losses or weak market access. Farmers will not only grow rice; they will participate in an integrated value chain that adds income and stability.

A New Dawn for Tana River

The Wednesday visit to Hola was not about speeches or photo opportunities. It was about action; action that farmers could already see in the clean canals, the upgraded reservoirs, and the pumps now running on electricity instead of diesel.

It was about the future, too. A future where Hola expands into a national rice hub, where food imports shrink, and where communities in Tana River live with the security of water and opportunity.

The story of Hola is the story of what happens when vision meets commitment, when government and communities stand together, and when old systems give way to modern solutions.

And as the water begins to flow more efficiently through Hola’s canals, one truth becomes undeniable: when irrigation thrives, so does Kenya.

Article by Victor Patience Oyuko. To buy coffee: 0708883777