Launch of the West Kano scheme

The scheme operations stalled in the 1999/2000 cropping season due to depletion of the revolving funds following the 1998 Mwea crisis. The scheme was revived in the year 2003. The Phase One Crop covered 1158 out of the total 2229 acres, yielding 1615 tonnes of paddy worth KShs 42 million shillings. The Phase Two crop targeted the entire 2229 acres, of which 915 acres had been cropped before production was suspended to allow for installation of the new pumps. This yielded 1276 tonnes of paddy worth Kshs.33million

Challenges facing the Scheme

1. Financial
   • Lack of cost-effective Water Supply System (two pumping stations& frequent siltation at the intake mouth). The cost of operation and maintenance due to pumping in and pumping out of the irrigation and drainage water respectively coupled with constant excavation of the intake mouth in order to guarantee water flow to the inlet pump station is very high,
   • Receding lake levels drag the cropping programme hence impossible to crop the scheme 100% in a year.
2. Operational
   • Slow adoption of Participatory Irrigation Management by the farming Community,
   • Inadequate partnership in irrigation.
   • Poor road network.
   • Rice disease and pest control.
3. Farmers Institutions (WUA and Cooperative)
   • Unstable market,
   • Inadequate capacity building
   • Little or no participation by other relevant stakeholders e.g. Ministry of Agriculture, Health, Cooperative Livestock etc.
4. Health and Environment.
   • Combating of water-borne and other related diseases,
   • Lack of clean drinking water,
   • Extreme weather effects (drought/flood) management,

Proposed Interventions (Way Forward)

West Kano pumps

The following are the possible proposed solutions to above challenges:

Finance
Increased Government allocation of development funds to NIB to:Facilitate provision of cost effective water supply system (gravity),Improve efficiency of existing scheme,Expand existing scheme,Mitigate floods by:

• construction of a scheme protection dyke
• water storage pans upstream
• alternatively construct a drainage canal via the earlier diverted river course (through the outlet pumping station to the lake)

Operational

• Institutional capacity development (farmers),
• Capacity building of irrigation farmers on project ownership for sustainable operation , maintenance and management,
• Enhanced networking among sector stakeholders,
• Enhanced marketing with emphasis on value addition on irrigated produce.
• Formulation /implementation of a national irrigation policy , legal & institutional frameworks