Please wait...

FAQs

 

How many Irrigation schemes do we have in Kenya?

There are currently over 3,000 irrigation schemes in the country.

There are 7 public/national irrigation schemes in Kenya namely:

  1. Mwea Irrigation scheme
  2. Bura Irrigation scheme
  3. Pekerra Irrigation scheme
  4. West Kano Irrigation scheme
  5. Ahero Irrigation scheme
  6. Katilo Irrigation scheme
  7. Tana Irrigation scheme

The National Irrigation Sector Investment Plan (NISIP) is Kenya’s roadmap for expanding and optimizing irrigation to enhance food security, climate resilience, and economic growth. Aligned with Kenya Vision 2030, the National Irrigation Policy (2017), and the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), NISIP aims to develop 1.5 million acres of irrigation by 2030 while ensuring environmental sustainability. With only 21% of Kenya’s irrigation potential currently utilized, the plan focuses on expanding and optimizing irrigation infrastructure, enhancing water storage and efficiency, boosting agricultural productivity, and attracting investment. By leveraging available land and water resources, NISIP provides a coordinated investment strategy to drive sustainable irrigation growth and support Kenya’s broader agricultural and economic transformation goals.

 

Irrigation Investment Areas

Characteristic features

Irrigation Expansion

Optimized agricultural water use

1 FARMER-LED IRRIGATION DEVELOPMENT

Facilitate rapid micro-irrigation expansion at a large scale

GOAL: Facilitate irrigation uptake by individuals and small groups of farmers on 0.5 ha to 2 ha, with a market-oriented farming agenda.

·     Government drives awareness and incentivizes technology uptake.

·     Farmers decide, own, operate and manage the systems themselves

·     Suppliers and financing institutions provide the essential services.

·     Capital costs are funded mostly or entirely by farmers.

250,000 acres

 

(equiv. 100,000 hectares)

 

---

2 PUBLIC SCHEMES’ PERFORMANCE

Achieve high-performing service delivery on public schemes

GOAL: Improve governance, management, and technology to achieve operational and financial sustainability through high-performance irrigation service delivery.

·     Performance is reflected by adequate, reliable, equitable, and affordable water, in a sustainable ecological balance.

·     Early warning data and crisis preparedness

·     Formalized and optimized irrigation-water services to farmers on Government schemes (National and County owned and managed).

·     Irrigation service fees cover operations and maintenance costs.

---

50,000 acres

 

(equiv.

20,000 hectares)

 

3 CORPORATE AGRIBUSINESS

Scale-up corporate and commercial investments in irrigated Agriculture

GOAL: Promote commercially oriented irrigation projects undertaken independently by the Private Parties, or jointly with Government and Communities.

·     Secure access to land and infrastructure for private investment.

·     Streamlined channels and multi-line ministry coordination of initiatives.

·     Transparent and predictable environment for business transaction.

·     Co-funding by multiple stakeholders.

·     Mechanized farming and technology transfer.

250,000 acres

 

(equiv. 100,000 hectares)

 

---

4 REVITALIZED IRRIGATION IN ASALs

Ensure food and fodder production in vulnerable pastoralist communities

 

GOAL: Provide adequate, reliable, and safe-quality water to support irrigation development in ASAL regions.

·     Small and medium blue-water storage investments for new irrigation schemes.

·     Flood-spate irrigation for fodder production.

·     In-situ water harvesting and infiltration methods for grazing enhancement.

·     Access to groundwater and managed aquifer recharge and enhanced natural aquifer recharge.

125,000 acres

 

(equiv.

50,000 hectares)

 

250,000 acres

 

(equiv. 100,000 hectares)

 

5 COMMUNITY SCHEME RESILIENCE

Enhance community-based irrigation for maximum benefits

GOAL: Strengthen community irrigation scheme management and production through an integrated organizational and agricultural enterprise development effort.

·     End to end approach responsive to priority organizational and agricultural enterprise support needs.

·     County Government and CIDUs lead the interventions.

·     Co-financing of infrastructure improvements by farmers.

·     Operations and maintenance costs covered by farmers.

·     Early warning data and crisis preparedness, flood-risk mapping

125,000 acres

 

(equiv.

50,000 hectares)

 

250,000 acres

 

(equiv. 100,000 hectares)