County Government of Laikipia

Riding on the success of the Solio Water Project in Laikipia Central Sub-County, the County Government of Laikipia is rolling out another Water-For-Production project to 300 households in Segera ward, Laikipia North Sub-County.

The Kariunga-Mutirithia-Naibor Integrated Irrigation Project, which is about 20 kilometers from Nanyuki town, aims at increasing the production of high-value crops such as tomatoes, avocado, French beans, capsicum, onion, cabbages, among others.

This is expected to stimulate the economy around Naibor, Jua Kali, Kariunga, and Mutirithia area and transform the lives of about 2,000 people.

Once complete, 300 persons will be engaged in full-time farming with an additional 600 employed in the farms as casual laborers. Scores of others will be employed indirectly.

The farmers will be trained on good agronomic practices, value addition, and marketing. Introduction of fish farming in both Kariunga and Naibor dams.

Makurian-Osirua

An aggregation center and cold storage facilities will be introduced and the farmers encouraged to form producer organizations/marketing organizations. The projects will also be a boost to livestock production by targeting 30 lead farmers to grow Rhodes grass which should result in increased milk production.

Water for the irrigation will be sourced from Kariunga and Naibor dams and Habitat and Mutirithia boreholes.

On Wednesday, the County Department of Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries advertised for works borehole drilling, and equipping, desilting of Naibor (Muritirithia) Earth Dam, reticulation and distribution of water from Kariunga Earth Dam, reticulation from Kariunga-Habitat Borehole, reticulation fro Mutirithia borehole and construction of two 225 cubic meters masonry tanks.

The scope of the project include construction of water irrigation infrastructure, promotion of efficient irrigation methods mainly drip irrigation, high-value fruit trees/nurseries especially Hass avocado and high-value horticultural crop like French beans, capsicum, tomatoes, onion, cabbages, among others.

It will also incorporate improvement of roads within the area covered by the project as well as provision of water for domestic use. The project is expected to be ready by March 2020.

Also underway is the Makurian-Osirua water project which will deliver water from northern slopes of Mount Kenya to 7,600 households (20,000 people) in Mukogodo East ward through gravity. Water is an economic enabler and Governor Ndiritu Muriithi's water-for-production initiative is aimed at transforming the lives of many households by increasing agricultural productivity.