Saturday, June 15, 2013

Tseikuru upbeat as irrigation project takes off

Wednesday, June 12, 2013 - 00:00 -- BY MUSEMBI NZENGU
In September 2011, former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka officiated  over the groundbreaking of the Sh3 billion Wikithuki co-operative irrigation scheme in semi-arid and hunger prone Tseikuru district.
The  12,000-acre irrigation scheme would draw water from River Tana to water crops, effectively dealing a blow to the vicious cycle of famine that had dogged the area.
At the launch of the irrigation project dubbed “operation kick Mwolyo (relief food) out,”  Kalonzo said the project was part of the elaborate plan by the government to end Kenya’s over-dependence on food donations from donors.
“This irrigation scheme has the potential of feeding the whole region when it is utilised to full scale. The government is ready to irrigate the area so that the residents get enough food not only for their consumption but for sale,” Kalonzo said.
He also handed over a certificate for a 99-year lease for 5,000 acres of irrigation land to the chairman of the Wikithuki co-operative irrigation scheme William Nzomo Kakuru from the now defunct County Council of Mwingi.
Nearly one and half years after the project was commissioned, 100 members of the irrigation scheme were allocated the initial 100 acres to put into irrigation. Each member was allocated one acre.
During a recent visit to the site, we found the place abuzz with activity as the beneficiaries engaged in planting of maize and beans on their plots.
According to Kakuru, at least 300 farmers were expected to get one acre each by mid-May.
Members who spoke to the Star were optimistic that the project, being carried out under the supervision of the National Irrigation Board, will be a boon to them and Tseikuru district residents at large.
Wikithuki assistant chief Josephat Muthengi  Musyimi said he had sensitised  the locals  on the need to support the irrigation scheme by enlisting as members of the cooperative society that had about 1,000 members at the time of our visit.
 “The people of Wikithuki are extremely grateful to the government for establishing this irrigation project. It will economically benefit them and more importantly, it will make them self-sufficient in food production,” Musyimi said.
He was optimistic that when the project fully takes off, he will be relieved of the burden of seeking food support for his subjects in times of food scarcity. “There will be no famine any more. With the availability of water, crops will be grown all year round,” he said.
Muthakye  Kilonzo, a member of the group, said she is hopeful the project will end the perennial food scarcity in the area.
“I have embraced the project because besides harvesting plenty of food, we will also reap economic gains. We will thus be able to pay school fees for our children. Unlike in the past, we will be assured of harvest with or without rains,” said Kilonzo said.
Kathendu wa Mbiti, 55, is also upbeat about the project. “We have suffered the pangs of hunger for a very long time. This project could not have come at a better time,” he said.
John Mwendwa Mututa was among the very first members to be allocated a one-acre plot. He said the future is bright for the local farmers as the benefits will be “impressive if things go according to plan.”
“I am a member and I have been allocated plot number eight. We were taken on an exposure tour to Perkerra irrigation scheme in Marigat, Baringo district. Going by what we saw in Perkerra, if members devote themselves to the scheme, we will soon be laughing all the way to the bank,” Mututa said.
The immediate former civic leader for Tseikuru, Musyoka Musumali, is equally in an upbeat mood. He said the benefits to be accrued from the project are enormous.
“When the members start selling their harvest they will get a lot of money in return. Life for the locals will change for the better because they will have plenty of food and famine will be a thing of the past,” he said.
The Tseikuru divisional agricultural officer Antony Muthui Kavisi said once the project is fully operational, the return in crop yield will be abundant.
“In normal circumstances, it is difficult for a farmer to harvest up to five bags of maize per acre of land in Tseikuru. It is however projected that an acre plot at the irrigation scheme will produce between 25 to 30 bags of maize. The yield will be high,” he said.
Kavisi disclosed that the Ministry of Agriculture provided technical assistance and training to farmers on the recommended farming practices for maximum yields with support from GIZ.
He said the National Irrigation Board on its part provides certified seeds and fertiliser. The NIB, he added, also ploughs the farms for the farmers. About 90 per cent of the works is covered by NIB and the farmers are thus left with the simple job of planting and weeding.
With the project taking off well, the dream of a hunger-free Tseikuru seems well on course to be realised.
- See more at: http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-124028/tseikuru-upbeat-irrigation-project-takes#sthash.4Ur7Jzpy.dpuf

No comments:

Post a Comment