Rice farmers in the Mwea irrigation scheme have urged the National Irrigation Authority to improve plantation conditions, where poor roads have become a significant issue.

During the Mwea scheme management farmers' consultative meeting at the Wamumu section, farmers stated that they pay a water levy to maintain the scheme's roads, but the work is never completed.

Farmers in the massive rice scheme have complained about the poor roads in the rice fields.

"Our plea to the National Irrigation Authority to repair rice farms has gone unheeded," Ndung'u Waitu told the management. 

According to the farmers, the impassable roads have made it difficult for them to transport rice to Mwea Irrigation stores and homesteads.

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"I am harvesting and transporting one bag of rice from the rice paddy to the main road at Ksh.600. I have paid over Ksh.60,000 to transport bags of rice to the rice stores over poor road networks," the rice farmer said.

Farmers vowed to stop paying the Ksh.3000 maintenance fee due to losses incurred, as some could not transport their rice bags.

"Tractors are supposed to pick the produce from the rice farms but can no longer access the roads as most of the scheme roads are impassable," Joseph Muriithi said.

Residents accuse the irrigation authority of selling murram allocated for the scheme to other sub-counties.

Mwea Member of Parliament Mary Maingi stated that she raised the issue in parliament.

"There is no need to pay maintenance fees if they are collecting millions and nothing is being done in the scheme," Maingi said in a statement.


The rice farmers charged their representatives with abandoning them.

"After we elected our unit leaders, they abandoned us and joined the authority side. "We have even raised concerns about receiving receipts without serial numbers," said Muriithi Kibitu.

Innocent Ariemba, manager of the Mwea irrigation scheme, defended himself, claiming that only 50% of farmers had paid their water bills to him.

According to the scheme manager, over 500 kilometers of farm roads are being upgraded.