Kenya’s Galana Kulalu Project Delivers First Maize Harvest, Marking Turning Point in National Food Security Strategy

Kenya has achieved a significant milestone in its quest for food sovereignty by successfully harvesting its first maize crop under the revived Galana Kulalu Irrigation Scheme, signaling a potentially transformative phase in the country’s efforts to rebuild domestic food production capacity and dramatically reduce reliance on costly agricultural imports that drain foreign exchange reserves.

The milestone, officially marked by Kenya’s Water, Sanitation and Irrigation Ministry on October 11, follows two intensive years of comprehensive restructuring that repositioned the long-stalled project under a public-private partnership (PPP) model with private investor Selu Limited, representing a fundamental shift in how Kenya approaches large-scale agricultural development.

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From Flagship Failure to Renewed Promise

The Galana Kulalu Food Security Project, spanning extensive portions of Kilifi and Tana River counties in Kenya’s coastal region, was initially launched with considerable fanfare in 2014 as the country’s flagship irrigation initiative. The project was designed to unlock the vast agricultural potential of Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs), which constitute approximately 80% of the nation’s landmass but have historically remained largely unproductive due to water scarcity and inadequate infrastructure.

After years of disappointing underperformance, mounting questions about economic viability, and growing public skepticism about government-led agricultural megaprojects, the project’s revival under a PPP model now represents a significant policy pivot. This approach seeks to strategically blend private capital, operational expertise, and market-driven efficiency with public infrastructure investment and regulatory oversight to achieve food sovereignty at scale.

Water and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary Eric Mugaa, who personally presided over the ceremonial launch of the first seed maize harvest, described the development as compelling proof that “the Galana Kulalu project is on track to become a food hub for Kenya.” His remarks emphasized the broader economic implications of the project’s success.

The Kenyan government estimates that the country currently spends approximately KSh500 billion (roughly $3.8 billion) annually on food imports, a substantial economic burden that depletes foreign exchange reserves and exposes the nation to global commodity price volatility. The project aims to significantly reduce this import dependency by dramatically increasing local production capacity for staple crops, particularly maize, which forms the foundation of the Kenyan diet.

“This is a demonstration that the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda can deliver tangible results if backed by sustained investment, political will, and genuine collaboration between public and private sectors,” Mugaa declared, referencing President William Ruto’s flagship economic policy framework that prioritizes grassroots development and agricultural productivity.

Impressive Early Yields and Expansion Plans

The initial 1,500 acres brought under modern irrigation have yielded between 28 and 30 bags of seed maize per acre during this inaugural harvest—a remarkably strong performance given the challenging semi-arid conditions of the Galana basin and the relatively early stage of soil improvement programs. For context, Kenya’s national average maize yield for smallholder farmers typically ranges between 8 and 15 bags per acre, meaning the Galana Kulalu project is achieving nearly double the national productivity benchmark.

Government officials announced that 330 acres will be mechanically harvested in the first phase over the next five days, utilizing modern combine harvesters and post-harvest handling equipment. Selu Limited, the private partner responsible for day-to-day operations and production management, has outlined ambitious but achievable expansion plans that will test the project’s scalability and operational sustainability.

The company plans to expand active cultivation to 3,200 acres by the end of 2025 and further to 5,400 acres by June 2026, representing a more than threefold increase in production area within eighteen months. The long-term development target is significantly more ambitious: to bring 20,000 acres under productive irrigation once additional critical water storage infrastructure and distribution systems are completed.

At full operational capacity, Galana Kulalu could potentially become Kenya’s single largest irrigated maize production zone, with cultivated area equivalent in size to the total irrigated land currently under maize cultivation across several other Kenyan counties combined. The project’s ultimate output potential carries implications that extend far beyond national food reserves, potentially contributing to regional grain stability throughout the Horn of Africa, where recurring climate shocks have repeatedly disrupted rain-fed agricultural systems and threatened food security.

Critical Infrastructure Investments Enable Agricultural Transformation

Central to this revival and the project’s renewed viability is the government’s substantial investment in modern, efficient irrigation infrastructure systems. The project now benefits from a comprehensive water management system that includes a 20,000-cubic-metre intake well drawing from the Galana River, a strategically located 550,000-cubic-metre reservoir for water storage, a 2-kilometre main canal for primary water distribution, and a newly constructed 20,000-cubic-metre offtake pump station—infrastructure that collectively stabilizes and secures water supply to support year-round farming operations regardless of seasonal rainfall patterns.

According to Cabinet Secretary Mugaa, two small dams already constructed in the region possess the capacity to supply irrigation water for up to 6,300 acres of cultivated land. More significantly, a planned large-scale dam project, once completed, will eventually make technically and economically feasible the irrigation of up to 200,000 acres of currently arid land, transforming vast stretches of the Galana basin into productive agricultural zones.

This infrastructure-first approach represents a marked departure from earlier phases of the project, which attempted to establish farming operations without first ensuring adequate and reliable water storage and distribution systems. The current phase has prioritized building robust water infrastructure before significantly expanding cultivation areas, a sequencing approach that experts argue should have been adopted from the project’s inception.

Employment Generation and Local Economic Impact

The partnership with Selu Limited has already begun generating meaningful local employment opportunities in a region historically characterized by high unemployment and limited formal sector job opportunities. According to company CEO Nicholas Ambanya, approximately 200 direct jobs have already been created across various roles including machine operators, irrigation technicians, agronomists, harvesting crews, and administrative staff, with substantially more positions expected as operations expand toward the multi-thousand-acre targets.

“This project demonstrates conclusively that properly structured public-private partnerships can deliver tangible, measurable results in both food security enhancement and rural job creation,” Ambanya stated, noting that the company’s investment model strategically integrates mechanized farming techniques with high-yield seed technology and precision agriculture practices to maximize both productivity and employment generation.

Beyond direct employment at the project site, local communities have begun experiencing secondary economic benefits through increased demand for goods and services, transportation opportunities, and the development of agricultural supply chains. Small businesses providing food services, accommodation, equipment maintenance, and other support functions have emerged around the project area, creating a multiplier effect that extends the economic impact beyond the immediate workforce.

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Policy Shift: From Rain Dependence to Irrigation-Led Agriculture

Government officials have increasingly emphasized that irrigation infrastructure development, rather than continued dependence on highly variable rainfall patterns, will ultimately determine Kenya’s agricultural future and food security prospects. Irrigation Principal Secretary Ephantus Kimotho emphasized that Galana Kulalu “has convincingly proven that with adequate water infrastructure and proper management, even Kenya’s arid lands can be systematically transformed into highly productive agricultural zones capable of commercial-scale production.”

Kimotho added that the ministry is actively engaging with numerous other private investors who have expressed interest in developing an additional 180,000 acres for irrigated cultivation across the broader region. This potential expansion could fundamentally position irrigation-based agriculture as the cornerstone of Kenya’s long-term food security strategy, reducing the nation’s vulnerability to the increasingly erratic rainfall patterns associated with climate change.

This represents a significant philosophical and practical shift in Kenyan agricultural policy, moving away from the traditional focus on supporting smallholder rain-fed agriculture toward building large-scale irrigation infrastructure that can guarantee consistent production regardless of climatic conditions. While smallholder agriculture will undoubtedly remain important, policymakers increasingly view irrigation as essential for achieving food security at the national level.

Parliamentary Oversight and Accountability Mechanisms

The project’s recent progress has drawn both parliamentary scrutiny and qualified support from Kenya’s legislative branch, which has historically been critical of large government agricultural projects that failed to deliver promised results. National Assembly Water, Irrigation and Blue Economy Committee Chairman Kangogo Bowen conducted a thorough site inspection and subsequently indicated satisfaction with the project’s current trajectory.

“We have verified that the funds allocated to this project have been effectively utilized for their intended purposes, and we can observe tangible infrastructure and productive output,” Bowen stated. “We will continue to provide rigorous oversight and ensure that every shilling of public money invested in irrigation infrastructure translates to measurable agricultural output and broader economic benefits for Kenyan citizens.”

This parliamentary engagement represents an important accountability mechanism that was notably absent during earlier phases of the Galana Kulalu project. Sustained legislative oversight could help ensure that the project maintains its current momentum and avoids the governance failures that characterized its initial implementation.

Learning from Past Failures: The PPP Model

For Kenya, the revival of Galana Kulalu under new management structures marks a broader, potentially significant policy shift away from large, entirely state-driven agricultural schemes toward partnership models that distribute financial risk and align incentives for operational efficiency and productivity. The government’s deliberate choice of a PPP framework explicitly reflects hard lessons learned from earlier phases of the project, which were severely hampered by massive cost overruns, poor day-to-day management, weak technical capacity, and limited accountability for results.

Under the current operational structure, Selu Limited bears primary operational responsibility and performance risk, with the company’s returns directly tied to agricultural productivity and market performance. Meanwhile, the state provides land access, develops and maintains water infrastructure, ensures security, and provides supportive policy and regulatory frameworks. This division of responsibilities theoretically creates stronger incentives for efficiency than purely government-operated schemes, where management often faces limited consequences for underperformance.

The previous state-run phase of Galana Kulalu became something of a cautionary tale in Kenyan development circles, with reports of equipment left unused, infrastructure incomplete or poorly maintained, and limited agricultural output despite substantial public investment. Corruption allegations and questions about procurement processes further damaged the project’s reputation and led to calls for its complete abandonment.

The current PPP approach attempts to address these governance challenges by introducing private sector management discipline, performance accountability, and market-driven decision-making while retaining public ownership of core infrastructure and overall strategic direction. Whether this model proves sustainably successful could have profound implications for how Kenya structures future agricultural development initiatives.

Environmental Sustainability Concerns and Long-Term Viability

While the harvest represents an encouraging development, agricultural and environmental experts have raised important questions about the project’s long-term environmental sustainability. Large-scale irrigation projects in fragile arid and semi-arid ecosystems can potentially strain groundwater resources, significantly alter soil chemistry, increase soil salinity through inadequate drainage, and impact biodiversity if not properly managed with strong environmental safeguards.

The Galana basin, which forms part of the ecologically sensitive lower Athi-Galana-Sabaki river catchment, already faces periodic water scarcity challenges, high sedimentation rates, and competing demands from wildlife conservation, pastoralist communities, and downstream users. The long-term viability and sustainability of intensive irrigated agriculture in this context will require robust monitoring systems tracking water use efficiency, soil health indicators, salinity levels, and biodiversity impacts.

Environmental advocates have called for comprehensive environmental impact assessments, establishment of clear water allocation frameworks that balance agricultural, environmental, and community needs, and ongoing monitoring to detect and address any negative ecological consequences before they become irreversible. The question of whether the project can maintain high productivity while preserving the ecological integrity of the Galana ecosystem remains largely unanswered.

Climate change projections suggest that the Galana River’s flow patterns may become even more variable and unpredictable in coming decades, potentially challenging the project’s water security assumptions. Ensuring sustainable water extraction rates that don’t exceed natural recharge and maintaining river health for downstream users will be critical ongoing challenges.

Regional Food Security Implications

For many observers both within Kenya and across the broader East African Community, this successful harvest signals that Kenya’s long-held ambition to industrialize agriculture through systematic irrigation development can indeed work when governance structures, incentive systems, and technical capacity properly align. With droughts becoming increasingly frequent, severe, and unpredictable across the Horn of Africa region due to changing climate patterns, irrigation-fed agricultural systems like Galana Kulalu offer a practical adaptation pathway.

Such systems can stabilize food supply at the national and potentially regional level while simultaneously reducing the extreme vulnerability of farmers and pastoralists who depend entirely on seasonal rainfall that has become progressively less reliable. Kenya’s success with Galana Kulalu could provide a replicable model for other East African nations grappling with similar food security challenges in arid regions.

Regional organizations including the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) have prioritized irrigation development as a climate adaptation strategy, and Kenya’s experience—both its earlier failures and current apparent success—offers valuable lessons for regional learning and policy development.

The Path Forward: Sustainability Beyond the First Harvest

As combine harvesters moved systematically across the Galana Kulalu fields this week, cutting and processing the first commercial maize crop, government officials were careful to frame the moment as merely a beginning rather than a final achievement. “This harvest demonstrates that Kenya’s food security strategy is entering a fundamentally new phase, one based on reliable irrigation infrastructure rather than hoping for adequate rainfall,” Cabinet Secretary Mugaa stated. “But one successful harvest, however encouraging, does not yet constitute a sustainable agricultural transformation.”

Whether Galana Kulalu ultimately becomes a celebrated national model for sustainable agricultural transformation and food security, or merely represents a temporary rebound that eventually falters like earlier phases, will depend on numerous factors. Continued public and private investment, sustained political commitment across electoral cycles, genuine transparency in financial management and decision-making, effective environmental management, and maintaining an enduring balance between maximizing agricultural production and preserving ecological sustainability will all prove critical.

The project faces ongoing challenges including potential conflicts over water allocation, managing soil fertility and salinity over extended cultivation periods, ensuring that benefits reach surrounding communities rather than flowing exclusively to corporate investors and urban consumers, and maintaining infrastructure systems that require constant maintenance and eventual replacement.

For now, however, the sight of mechanized harvesters working through fields of mature maize where previously only sparse scrub vegetation could survive represents a powerful symbol of possibility. It suggests that with proper planning, adequate infrastructure investment, effective management structures, and favorable political and economic conditions, Kenya’s vast arid lands need not remain perpetually unproductive.

The coming growing seasons will provide crucial evidence about whether this revival represents a genuine turning point or a false dawn in Kenya’s decades-long struggle to achieve agricultural self-sufficiency and food security for its rapidly growing population.

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Photo source: Google

By: Montel Kamau

Serrari Financial Analyst

13th October, 2025