President Uhuru Kenyatta during the ground breaking at Galana-Kulalu irrigation project. PHOTO | FILE
Members of Parliament are set to join Irrigation ministry officials on a trip to the controversial Galana-Kalalu scheme as the Jubilee administration races to revive its biggest project on food security ahead of next year’s election.
The planned visit is seen as a step towards getting the mega project back on track six months after its milling component was removed and budget slashed by 50 per cent.
The Agriculture, Livestock and Co-operatives Committee led by Mandera East MP Aden Noor has previously referred to the Galana project as a waste of taxpayers’ funds and called for its suspension, after a series of missteps like slow work programme and irregular tendering.
“The parliamentary committee will join the ministry in a familiarisation trip to Galana in a few weeks to witness firsthand the immense potential it has for the country,” said Water and Irrigation secretary Eugene Wamalwa on Friday.
The ministry projects that Galana’s one million acres under irrigation will provide adequate buffer against hunger should rains fail in future.
Mr Wamalwa said the completion of the project would eliminate the Sh50 billion spent on food imports annually and keep retail price of high-grade maize flour at Sh84 per 2kg packet.
The Noor-led committee had in December resolved to suspend the project and ordered the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to investigate its procurement mechanism and the officials with view of holding them to account for loss of public funds.
So far, the Treasury has only pumped in Sh7.5 billion to develop the initial 500 acres of the 10,000-acre model farm, rendering the five-year target of one million acres impossible.
Mr Wamalwa maintains that the milling component of the project was removed because it had nothing to do with irrigation while a decision to halve the project’s budget was arrived at following consultative a meeting with the Agriculture committee.
“We discussed a new roadmap for Galana that will deliver the 10,000-acre model farm at Sh7.2 billion down from Sh14 billion,” he said. The CS said the Galana Project has the potential to make the country food secure and propel it to being a net exporter of maize and other food crops.
“Results of 30 to 39 bags of maize per acre per season from the pilot project on an area of 500 acres is positive and encouraging,” said Mr Wamalwa.
The ministry is set to roll out other major projects in various parts including Lower Nzoia, Mwache, Turkana, Ewaso Ngiro, Baringo, Turkwel and Kerio Rivers.
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