The Ministry of Water, Sanitation, and Irrigation will construct a Kes408.6 million irrigation scheme in Ugenya, Siaya County.

The proposed Anyiko-Ujwanga Expansion Irrigation Project will straddle nineteen (19) villages and three (3) sub-locations: Kathieno C, Kathieno B, and Sihayi, located in the North East Location, East Ward, Ugenya Constituency, and Ugenya Sub-County of Siaya County.

The scheme is approximately 26km and 12km from Siaya and Ugunja, respectively.

The water intake and sedimentation basin will be constructed in Indaglasia, Kakamega County.

“The implementation of the project is to be carried out in phases starting from intake works through conveyance system to distribution and tertiary and drainage canals at farm level,” an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) Study submitted to the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) reveals.

Further, it states that farmers are expected to irrigate their farms using water from the tertiary canals directed to their farms to improve water use efficiency.

ESIA identifies and addresses possible direct, indirect, and significant adverse environmental and social impacts that may arise from the proposed project.

“Water is to be abstracted from river Nzoia in Kakamega county and transmitted downstream through canals.”

The Anyiko rice-growing irrigation scheme was started in 1977 by the Ministry of Agriculture as an experiment using simple check structures.

“Encouraged by what they saw, a few farmers started growing rice by tapping water from the wetland at the upper part of the scheme for the purpose of irrigating rice and obtained reasonable yield.”

The project will involve the construction of a 14.5km main canal, field canals (23km), service roads, and access roads (23.6km), among others.