President William Ruto has announced that the long-awaited Galana Kulalu food security project is now ready for full operationalization.
Speaking during the inspection of the testing phase of the project on Friday, Ruto said the Sh519.4 million infrastructure is now fully built and undergoing final testing.
The project comprises a 753-metre inlet canal, a 450 million-litre reservoir, a 1,210-metre outlet canal, and a 20 million-litre off-take sump.
Ruto said the project is designed to optimise water management for enhanced agricultural productivity.
He pointed out that the irrigation project, among others, will eradicate the shame of hunger in the country.
“For a long time, there has been a lot of talk about this project. It has been enough talk; now the work begins,” he said.
The President also said the government is working with the private sector under a Public-Private Partnership to operationalise the project and scale up food production.
“We want to use this project to grow food, create jobs as well as ensure we have products for export,” he said.
President Ruto further said the Galana Kulalu project will also be used to produce animal feed to boost livestock farming in the country.
He said Kenya and the United Arab Emirates have signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will see companies invest in food and animal feed production.
A total of 250,000 acres will be brought under irrigation. Of this, 20,000 acres are allocated to Selu Limited, 50,000 acres to Nyumbani Foundation, and 180,000 acres to Al Dahra of the UAE.
The President also inspected the construction of the Galana-Kulalu Bridge and access road, critical infrastructure that will facilitate the efficient movement of produce from the farms to market.
Later, he inspected the electrification of the Galana Kulalu Food Security Project, which will lower the cost of production by eliminating the use of diesel to power the farm.
The Sh2.9 billion electrification project will support sustainable food security and facilitate agro-processing facilities within the irrigation scheme.
