TARDA seeks strategic investor to revitalize Tana Irrigation Project

EMMANUEL MASHA-KNA 

The Tana and Athi Rivers Development Authority (TARDA) is seeking a strategic investor to revive the Tana Delta Irrigation Project in Tana River County and help it realize its full potential in rice production. 

TARDA Managing Director Duba Liban stated that the authority had embarked on rehabilitation works for the project’s infrastructure, which was damaged during recent heavy rains, in preparation for the private investor it seeks to engage through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement. 

During an inspection tour by the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Regional Development, Mr. Liban mentioned that discussions were ongoing regarding the PPP, aimed at assisting the country in achieving its national food security goals. 

“We are trying to leverage private capital and technology to fully realize the project’s potential in achieving national food security goals, import substitution, and foreign exchange recovery related to money lost through rice imports,” he said.

The official said after doing an assessment, the authority had realized massive infrastructural destruction and crop loss and noted that it had done rehabilitation works on the flood protection mechanism by constructing an embankment dyke. 

“On our part we have just realized the reconstruction of the main dyke, de-silted the water canal and repaired the Kitere intake,” Mr. Liban said.

He added that the committee’s visit was part of the assessment of those repairs in order to see if the project can be revived to its full potential following the losses experienced during the heavy rains. 

The authority’s quest received a nod from the departmental committee, which asked the government to speed up the process of getting the private investor through PPP so that the project can help the country end rice importation. 

The committee chaired by Sigor Member of Parliament Peter Lochakapong, said it opposed plans to scrap regional development authorities (RDAs) and instead said it would push for more funding to help them realize their potential.

Committee members, who included Mr. Lochaka pong, Embakasi South Member of Parliament Julius Mawathe and their Matungu counterpart Peter Oscar Nabulindo, inspected on going rehabilitation works and underscored the need for the national government to commit more financial resources to the project even as it seeks to engage the private sector. 

Members of the committee expressed optimism that that through PPP, the project could help address food in security in the country as it had the potential of producing more than 80,000 metric tonnes (about 80 million kilogrammes) of rice when fully utilized.

Mr. Lochakapong said apart from the project helping in food security, it had the potential of helping locals around it in terms of employment, food and the provision of clean water.