The State Department for Irrigation will rehabilitate Kenyatta Dam within the Mau Forest Complex to enhance irrigation and support livelihoods under the Mau Forest Complex Integrated Conservation and Livelihood Improvement Programme (MFC-ICLIP).
The rehabilitation project is expected to benefit about 1,800 households by enabling smallholder irrigation on approximately 1,200 acres of land, boosting food production while supporting ongoing conservation efforts in the country’s largest water tower.
The State Department’s intervention will include construction of a solar-powered pump house, rehabilitation of the dam embankments, construction of a 300-cubic-meter water storage tank, installation of a water reticulation system covering 1,200 acres, and provision of drip irrigation kits for school kitchen gardens. The project is estimated to cost Sh480 million.
Director of Land Reclamation and Climate Resilience for Water and Food Security, Thandi Githae, announced the government’s support during First Lady Rachel Ruto’s visit to several project sites in Kuresoi North Constituency, Nakuru County.
During the visit, the First Lady adopted 33 hectares of Bararget Forest in the Marindas Block, where she will spearhead tree planting and nurturing activities as part of the Mau Forest Complex Integrated Conservation and Livelihood Improvement Programme.
She also launched a fruit orchards project at Baringo Primary School, which Principal Secretary for Environment Festus Ngeno said would serve as a model learning center where farmers can acquire practical skills on environmental restoration and sustainable livelihoods.
The adoption of the 33-hectare forest block forms part of the government’s broader strategy to restore the Mau Forest Complex. The restoration initiative was conceived in July 2025 and officially launched in October the same year, with PS Ngeno serving as patron of the conservation and livelihood improvement programme.
Addressing residents, the First Lady urged Kenyans to plant more trees to increase forest cover and strengthen food security. She commended local communities for cultivating Irish potatoes in designated forest restoration areas, saying the initiative was improving livelihoods while complementing conservation efforts.
She emphasized that communities living adjacent to the Mau Forest Complex should remain at the center of restoration activities because the ecosystem is a critical water catchment that supports thousands of livelihoods across the country.
The First Lady said sustained community participation would ensure the long-term success of restoration efforts while safeguarding water resources, biodiversity and agricultural productivity for future generations.
In his remarks, PS Ngeno said the Mau Forest Complex Integrated Conservation and Livelihood Improvement Programme is working with the “Mama Doing Good” initiative to establish school kitchen gardens aimed at improving nutrition among learners while promoting environmental conservation.
He noted that the program recognizes schoolchildren as important environmental ambassadors who can help instill conservation values within their families and communities.
Under the initiative, fruit orchards will initially be established in 108 schools within the Mau Forest Complex, with each school receiving 40 avocado seedlings. The programme will later be expanded to all 534 schools located within the forest ecosystem.
The government expects the school orchards and kitchen gardens to improve nutrition, provide practical agricultural learning opportunities, and strengthen environmental stewardship among learners.
Among those who attended the event were Ambassador Idah Odinga; Cabinet Secretaries from the Ministries of Environment, Climate Change and Forestry and Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage; Principal Secretaries from the State Departments for Forestry and Parliamentary Affairs; the Kuresoi North Member of Parliament; the Nakuru County Deputy Governor; and the Nakuru County Woman Representative.
By Penina Kihika (PCO)
