Lower Kuja Irrigation Scheme faces hurdles as farmers abandon land

THE STANDARD
KENYA
Richard Odhiambo at his rice farm, Lower Kuja Irrigation scheme. [Caleb Kingwara, Standard]
Rice farmers are abandoning huge tracts of land in the Lower-Kuja irrigation scheme, threatening the survival of the three-year Sh5.4 billion national government project that was commissioned by ODM leader Raila Odinga in May 2019.
Kevin Omondi, who has 10-acres in the scheme, said that despite harvesting 200 bags during the last season, he had not been able to find a buyer for his paddy in the last six months.
Paddy is rice whose husk has not been removed.
“Having your land tilled and the rice planted and maintained to the point of harvesting is quite costly. We are not seeing anything good after all the toil,” said Mr Omondi, who quit fishing to venture into rice farming.

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