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State offers investors 110,000 acres of land in Bura for lease
An aerial view of the trenches dug by the National Irrigation Authority to prevent livestock from accessing farms under production at the Bura Irrigation Scheme in Tana River County.
The State has opened up 110,000 acres of land within the Bura Irrigation Scheme for commercial leases with an eye on the production of rice, maize, cotton, sugarcane, fruits, and pasture growing.
The Ministry of Water and Irrigation, through the National Irrigation Authority (NIA) said investors have until June 24, 2025, to express interest and sign leases by that date.
A blueprint shows that the government plans to place 45,000 acres of idle land in the Bura scheme under rice farming, and 50,000 acres under sugarcane farming, while maize, pasture and fodder will occupy 10,000 acres.
“It is anticipated that investors will secure the required financing for the project within a maximum period of one year from the contract signature date and progress steadily to achieve full farm development and production in five years,” the ministry said.
The government will provide lessees with bulk irrigation water off-take from the main canal at the head of the farm, but they will be responsible for irrigation distribution on the farm, land preparation, and development of suitable infrastructure.
“The average irrigation rate per acre for the Bura irrigation expansion scheme will be 28 cubic meters per acre per day. Investors are expected and required to invest in high water efficiency to maximise water use benefits.
“The project evaluation identifies sprinkler, drip, and subsurface drip irrigation systems as the most appropriate technologies due to their water efficiency and compatibility with multiple crop types,” the ministry said.
The entire Bura irrigation and settlement scheme comprises 296,000 acres of land located in Tana River County, out of which 12,000 acres have been developed, with 6,000 acres actively under rice and maize production.
The government has lately stepped up leases as part of its land commercialisation initiative that targets to lease up to 500,000 acres of idle land and attract at least Sh65 billion in agricultural investments.
The initiative also targets to reduce the staple food deficit by at least 50 percent, create 1.1 million jobs, increase farmers’ incomes, and promote value addition.
The Agriculture ministry recently opened up 21,000 acres of idle land belonging to the National Youth Service (NYS) and Tana and Athi Rivers Development Authority (Tarda) for commercial leases in a bid to boost food security.
The State said it will lease out 20,000 acres of land within the Samburu Kirimun field unit held by NYS and that is currently dedicated to livestock production, wildlife conservancy, and tree plantations.
“The government of Kenya aims to select one or multiple private operations who can start agricultural and or forestry activities,” the ministry said about the NYS Kirimun land parcel which is the biggest of 22 agricultural sites owned by the State agency.
An additional 1,000 acres of land held by Tarda near Kiambere hydropower dam is also up for leasing.
Between 1996 and 2005, the State ran a 350-acre irrigated farming project on the Tarda land in Kiambere, where it produced mangoes, bananas, citrus, tomatoes, onions, and various other crops. However, declining reservoir water levels led to the discontinuation of the project due to prohibitive costs.
Tarda now seeks new development prospects, including agricultural leases, solar panel installations, or tree plantations, for the surrounding land.
Other tracts of public land identified for the LCI project include Egerton University where 200 acres have been set apart for an Agro-science Park, 10,000 acres at the Galana Kulalu irrigation scheme, and 25,000 acres of Bura Irrigation scheme.
Additionally, Tana Delta Irrigation Project has 10,000 acres for rice production while Kiambere in Embu County has 1000 acres for fruit and vegetable production.
Cash-strained Moi University has also opened up 1,500 acres of land within its main Kesses campus in Eldoret for farming leases. The varsity said investors would take up the land for 60 months, preferably for maize farming.
