Kerio valley: The government through the Kerio Valley Development Authority (KVDA), has stepped up its climate resilience efforts by injecting over Sh500 million into comprehensive water projects within Keiyo North sub-county.
According to Kenya News Agency, the move aims to counter the harsh, escalating effects of climate change and provide lasting drought mitigation for local communities and represents a deliberate effort by the government to uplift grassroots livelihoods through the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
These critical projects, which primarily include strategic dams, water pans, and boreholes, are purposefully designed to secure a reliable, year-round water supply which will safeguard the livelihoods of thousands of residents and their livestock, while simultaneously providing a steady source of water for irrigation schemes during prolonged dry spells.
Speaking while inspecting the ongoing construction of the second phase of the Etio dam, KVDA Acting Managing Director, Moses Kipchumba, revealed that the first phase of the Etio dam, which cost Sh. 80 million, is already complete, adding that the authority is now aggressively pushing forward with the Sh. 120 million second phase, scheduled for completion within the next month. ‘Once fully operational, the dam’s total water volume will surge to 200,000 cubic metres, directly benefiting 30,000 people stretching all the way from the highlands down to Biretwo in the arid Kerio Valley.
According to Kipchumba, this specific phase is heavily focused on expanding actual household and agricultural access. ‘The project will include the construction of tanks, laying of pipes, and a solar system for pumping the water,’ he noted. To complement this, he said, KVDA has already constructed smaller water pans and boreholes that local communities are actively using for field irrigation.
The MD said this infrastructure push is part of a much broader, interconnected network of water reserves designed to transform semi-arid landscapes into highly productive zones. He added that alongside Etio, KVDA is establishing several other critical reservoirs, including the Emsoo dam, which aims to irrigate 100 acres; the Chebagon small dam, targeting 300 acres; and the Yokot dam, which will supply water to irrigate 500 acres.
Kipchumba emphasized that once these dams are complete, they will not only ensure that local families achieve food security through reliable farming but will also fundamentally empower them economically by transitioning smallholder farmers from rain-fed dependency to structured, continuous cultivation of high-value crops like mangoes, avocados, and vegetables, among others.
He further noted, ‘However, the authority recognizes that infrastructure alone cannot survive without environmental sustainability.’ The MD said to prevent the new dams from silting and to guarantee a continuous, year-round flow of water, KVDA is actively embedding upstream catchment conservation into its operations by engaging in massive tree-planting exercises and protecting natural water springs along the Kerio River basin.
