Water and Sanitation Cabinet Secretary Sicily Kariuki has called on farmers in Nyandarua County to take advantage of boreholes and desilted dams to practice irrigation farming for business.
Ms Kariuki, who spoke in Rurii while on a tour of water projects in Nyandarua Central Sub County, urged the farmers to utilize the resource as a way of improving their livelihoods.
At least 4,000 households are set to benefit from clean water from boreholes that have been sunk across the county, she added.
The CS observed that due to the insufficiency of water, most parts of the county have not been able to live up to their full potential of being the food basket for the county.
Through the National Irrigation Authority, we are conducting capacity building to the beneficiaries to ensure they learn new farming methods and skills, for business farming especially in horticultural crops instead of the conventional farming,” she noted.
The boreholes have a capacity of producing over 400,000 litres per hour, hence residents will now be relieved of the agony of travelling for long distances while in search of water.
“We have set up management committees for each project to ensure that the resource is fully and well utilized for the benefit of all. Operation of the project, the protection of the panels and distribution will lie on the shoulders of the committees,” she said.
The CS toured several boreholes within Rurii and Kaimbaga Wards including Githungiri, Kianduba, Kahia, Theuri and Kagaa boreholes that were being constructed with the help of the National Government through the National Irrigation Authority.
Nyandarua Central Deputy Commissioner, George Matundura, said the government was committed to ensure that the construction works were undertaken to the required standards and that they were completed on time.
By Anne Sabuni
