November 9, 2024

Agency Seeks Strategic Investor to Revive Tana Irrigation Scheme

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By The COAST Reporter

Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com

The Tana and Athi Rivers Development Authority, TARDA, is seeking a strategic investor to revive the Tana Delta Irrigation Project in the region so as to realise its full potential in rice production.

 Duba Liban, Tarda managing Director, said the authority had embarked on rehabilitation works on the project’s infrastructure that was damaged during recent heavy rains.

This is in preparation and readiness for any private investor that seeks a public private partnership (PPP) arrangement.

Liban, speaking during National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Regional  Development’s inspection tour of Tarda on October 23, 2024, said the project was under discussion for PPP with a view to boost country’s national food security goals.

“We are trying to leverage private capital and technology so that we fully realize the potential of the project in its realization of the national food security goals, import substitution and forex recovery in terms of money lost through rice importation.”

According to him after doing an assessment, the authority had realized massive infrastructural destruction and crop loss.

He added that they had done rehabilitation works on the flood protection mechanism by constructing an embarkment dyke.

“On our part we have just realized the reconstruction of the main dyke, desilted the water canal and repaired the Kitere intake,” he said.

The committee’s visit, he  added, was part of the assessment of those repairs in order to see if the project could be revived to its fullest potential following damages and losses experienced during the heavy rains.

The authority received a nod from the departmental committee that asked the government to speed up the process of getting the private investor through PPP opportunities so that the project could stop ongoing rice importation.

MP Peter Lochakapong (Sigor), the committee chair, said they opposed plans to scrap regional development authorities (RDAs) and instead push for more funding to help them realize their potential.

Apart from Lochakapong, other committee members included Julius Mawathe (Embakasi South) and Peter Nabulinda (Matungu) who inspected ongoing rehabilitation works and underscored the need for the national government to commit more financial resources and engage the private sector.

The Parliamentary committee expressed optimism through PPP the project could address the food insecurity in country as it has the potential to produce over 80,000 metric tonnes (about 80 million kilogrammes) of rice when fully utilized.

Apart from the project assisting in food production, Lochakapong said it has the potential of helping the locals in terms of employment, food and the provision of clean water.

“With the government resources being limited, we want to amplify the president’s call for public private partnership and say that government should think of getting a private investor to assist so that this project can realize its full potential.”

Noting that the government had already committed resources to the project, the Sigor legislator said those resources were not adequate, hence the need for the government to speed up the PPP process and get a private investor.

Mawathe echoed the same sentiments saying the project has the potential of earning the country between Sh4 billion and Sh6 billion annually if fully operational.

He noted that PPP was the way to go if the potential was to be realised in the shortest time possible.

The MP opposed a plan to do away with regional development authorities saying they have a positive impact on communities within and beyond if supported financially.

Nabulindo said regional development authorities had a lot of unutilised potentials and promised to push for more funding to the authorities to enable them improve their impact on Kenyans’ lives.

The TDIP rice scheme covers about 18,000 hectares (about 44,000) acres) with a potential to expand up to another 12,000 hectares (about 30,000 acres).

The committee visited the rubber dam, the Kitere intake, two community water projects and the project’s rice mill.

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