Background
Formal irrigation development started around 1946 under the African Land Development Programme (ALDEV) when irrigation schemes were established around Naivasha, Taveta, and Nyanza and in the large scale farms producing coffee and pineapples. In 1966, the National Irrigation Board (NIB) was created through an Act of Parliament (CAP 347) to develop and manage tenant-based public settlement schemes and took over management of state developed schemes at Hola, Bura, Mwea, Kano and Marigat. In 1977, the Small-scale Irrigation Unit (SSIU) was created within the Ministry of Agriculture to coordinate the development of the community – based smallholder irrigation and drainage schemes that were not catered for under the Irrigation Act.
In 1946, the African Land Development Unit (ALDEV) embarked on a broad agricultural rehabilitation programme in Kenya, which included development of irrigation. Later in 1950’s the unit initiated a number of irrigation schemes including Mwea, Hola, Perkerra, Ishiara and Yatta using freedom fighter detainees as source of labour.
The National Irrigation Board was established in 1966 to take over the activities of ALDEV. Later the Board established Ahero, West Kano, Bunyala, and Bura as pilot irrigation schemes.
Between 1946 and 1970, large scale commercial farmers producing mainly coffee started irrigating their land using mechanical water abstraction and overhead sprinkler applications. Due to increasing shortage of water and the need to increase production efficiency, farmers, especially in the horticulture industry have adopted new and modern water saving irrigation technologies such as drip and greenhouses.
In January 1977, the Small-Scale Irrigation Development Project (SSIDP) was established under an agreement for technical cooperation between the Governments of Kenya and the Netherlands. The main objective of the SSIDP was twofold: to promote and develop a participatory model of small-scale irrigation and to establish a national institutional framework for the planning and implementation of smallholder irrigation and drainage programs within the Ministry of Agriculture. Through the SSIDP, the Small-Scale Irrigation Unit (SSIU) was created in the Ministry of Agriculture and was renamed the Irrigation and Drainage Branch (IDB) in 1978. The IDB established Provincial Irrigation Units (PIUs), which in the mid-1980s were decentralized to District Irrigation Units (DIUs) conforming to the government’s policy of the District Focus for Rural Development.
The irrigation sector has undergone significant policy, legal and institutional reforms. These reforms include, development of the National Irrigation Policy 2017, enactment of the Irrigation Act, 2019, and development of draft Irrigation (General) Regulations, 2021. The ministry has also developed a five-year National Irrigation Services Strategy 2021-2025 which seeks to achieve targets set under the Kenya Vision 2030 development plan. Further, Guidelines for promotion, development and management of irrigation in Kenya have been developed.
In addition, institutional reforms are ongoing to improve performance and ensure sustainability of the irrigation sector. The key institutional reforms include the restructuring of the National Irrigation Board (NIB) into National Irrigation Authority (NIA) with expanded mandate such as providing irrigation support services to private, medium and smallholder schemes as well as providing technical advisory services to irrigation schemes in design, construction supervision, administration and operation. Other institutional reforms include on - going formation of County Irrigation Development Units (CIDUs) to spearhead development and management of irrigation at the county level. Farmers have been empowered by providing for formation and registration (under the Societies Act) of Irrigation Water Users Associations (IWUAs) to manage their irrigation schemes.
