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{
    "id": 41823,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/41823/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 203,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "On securing food security and rural development through expanded irrigation, the frequent adverse effects of climate change on agriculture poses a great threat to food security in our country. There is, therefore, need to start in a decisive manner to shift into irrigation based farming methods. Building on the progress achieved under the ESP Irrigation Programme, we are initiating a comprehensive countrywide irrigation expansion programme intended to gradually cover the 1.7 million acres of potential irrigable land and in order to transform our country into a food secure and a real exporter of food. We are doing this in order to kick out hunger in Kenya once and for all. As a first bold step in this journey, I have allocated an ambitious Kshs10.2 billion, comprising of Kshs8.6 billion under the Ministry of Finance for direct transfer to the National Irrigation Board for various irrigation projects throughout the country and Kshs1.2 billion to initiate large irrigation projects in Nyanza under the Ministry of Regional Development Authorities and another Kshs400 million under the Ministry of Water and Irrigation to continue expanding small-holder irrigation projects throughout the country. These allocation requests are the highest ever to expand and initiate various irrigation projects around the country. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I know some hon. Members may be wondering why we have allocated funds for irrigation and other critical interventions under the Ministry of Finance. You will agree that where there has been famine in our country, Ministries often rush to the Cabinet to secure approval for additional funds without sometimes bothering to know where such funds will come from. For instance, we have spent huge sums of money in the past, especially in 2008/2009, to mitigate effects of drought by importing maize to build up the Strategic Grain Reserve and undertake drought relief interventions throughout the country. This we did in recognition of the need to ensure food security and reduce such unplanned expenditures going forward. We need to have a proper implementation framework. Last year, we did, for example, go ahead and allocate more resources to the concerned Ministries to expand irrigation, including allocating Kshs400 million and Kshs360 million towards the purchase of fixed and mobile maize driers respectively to reduce post-harvest losses by our farmers, but progress in this degree has been limited. Taking into account the lessons we have learnt, we have decided to hold the Ministry funds for use by the National Irrigation Board towards the implementation of critical irrigation projects throughout the country. We will work with the NIB and all relevant Ministries and the relevant departmental committees to ensure that we have in place a better framework for implementation. Our intention is to ensure that our people will benefit from these interventions. With this background, and in order to fast track ongoing irrigation countrywide, we have allocated Kshs2.3 billion for the following projects: Rapsu in Isiolo, Bura and Hola in Tana River, Kibwezi in Makueni, Mitunguu and Muringa Banana in North Meru, Mwea in Kirinyaga and Kaagari Gaturi in Embu. With the implementation of these projects, we shall bring under irrigation a total of 36,100 acres of agricultural land equivalent to 27 per cent of the planned 135,750 acres intended to benefit approximately 500,000 households. We are also initiating new irrigation projects throughout the country to address hunger and poverty. To this end, the Government has allocated a total of Kshs3.5 billion to initiate some of those projects in order to bring a further 116,000 acres under irrigation"
}