Kenya seeks private investors to fund 61 per cent of Sh598bn irrigation plan

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Kenya is seeking private-sector financing for 61 per cent of its Sh598 billion irrigation plan as it targets more than 1.5 million irrigated acres by 2035.

The plan, known as the National Irrigation Sector Investment Plan (NISIP) 2025–2035, seeks to expand irrigation as the Government works to strengthen food security and reduce reliance on rain-fed agriculture.

The Government made the call during the Eastern and Southern Africa Private Sector Forum on Irrigation 2026 held in Nairobi on October 5–6.

The financing drive targets commercial banks, development partners, irrigation equipment suppliers, agribusinesses and other private-sector players.

The Government is also working with the World Bank and International Finance Corporation (IFC) through the Kenya Climate Resilient Irrigation Scale-Up (K-RISE) programme.

K-RISE includes financing mechanisms intended to reduce barriers that have limited investment and lending in irrigation.

The irrigation plan targets more than 1.5 million acres as Kenya seeks to increase agricultural production, strengthen climate resilience and improve food security.

The Government also links increased irrigation investment to job creation, farmer incomes and wider market access.

The forum brought together government representatives and private-sector stakeholders from Eastern and Southern Africa to discuss barriers, risks and market failures affecting investment in irrigation.

The push for private capital comes as the Government seeks to shift irrigation from reliance on public funding towards greater participation by investors and businesses.

The plan requires investment from multiple sectors, including finance, agriculture, irrigation technology and equipment supply, to meet its 2035 target.

The forum also sought to position irrigation as an investment opportunity while addressing the risks that have discouraged private financing of agricultural water infrastructure.