PRIVATE SECTOR CONSULTATION ON THE NATIONAL IRRIGATION SECTOR INVESTMENT PLAN, MARCH 13TH, 2025.

Earlier today, Principal Secretary State Department for Irrigation CPA Ephantus Kimotho, CBS presided over the private sector consultation on NISIP.

NISIP is a strategic 5-year blueprint that aims at massive mobilization of government,  development partners, and private investments in irrigated food and fodder production. It defines five highly opportune and synergetic irrigation pathways to achieve priority high-level goals.

NISIP strives to actualize the Kenya Vision 2030, National Irrigation Policy 2017, and the government’s Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda of jobs creations,  export earning climate resilience,  food security,  foreign investment and conflict prevention.  

The discussion was categorized into four clusters group, namely: financial services; technology & equipment suppliers; Off-takers & aggregators, and information services. The session identifies and deliberated on various sector-specific challenges and opportunities.

NISIP targets to; 
●Expand the equipped irrigation area from 712,000 to 1,450,000 acres through masive-scale private micro-irrigation; large-scale corporate partnerships and community schemes.

●Drive up productivity and profitability performance on existing public and community irrigation schemes covering 300,000 acres.

●Increase food and fodder production in ASALS regions on 250,000 acres of rangeland and agricultural water management techniques.

"Business Unusual is needed to achieve national goals by 2030. The  NISIP investment pathways enable multiple financing sources,  funder interest areas, and regional and local initiatives to be strategically aligned with a total focus on government goals." PS Kimotho

The total funding that NISIP aspires to  mobilize in the first five years (Phase 1) to achieve these goals is KSH 356 billion (equivalent to USD 2.7 billion). The Government of Kenya and development partners will finance 33% of those amounts,  while the private sector (farmers and corporate agribusiness) will finance the balance of 67%. The government is confident that strategically directed investor collaboration, guided by the NISIP pathways,  will be the fastest and most cost-efficient way to achieve economic, agricultural, and water development goals.