Irrigation Schemes in Kirinyaga
Mwea Rice Scheme: A Rice Basket of Kenya
Kenya is in a time of rapid expansion. Towns, once trivial centres, are reshaping themselves in size, with the good road network capably improved by successive governments over the last decade upending the development. The tailend of B6 Embu-Meru Road, turning off the A2 Nairobi-Isiolo-Moyale Road at Makutano, could be said to possess some burgeoning elements, although the mismatched, informal disposition of these centres have few reasons for the traveller to stop.
Likewise, the maiden section of B6 Road has little to commend it as it travels through Kirinyaga County enroute Embu town, the gateway into Embu County. Then, 14 km beyond Makutano along the B6, at the third centre, Mutithi, around the bend, a definitively stunning and fetching landscape unfolds. If there is still a debate on the best vantages of Mount Kenya as a matter of travel interest, the view of Mount Kenya, at Mwea Irrigation Scheme, with a dramatic stretch of the unvarying plane of the verdant paddies, is a contender provided in good weather.
Presently, the terrain levels out into a flat sheet of land, the mountain rising eminently as a jaw-dropping backdrop. The vast 60 km2 Mwea Rice Irrigation Scheme, seen between Mutithi and Wang’uru (Mwea), was instituted in 1953 by the colonial government and handed over to National Board in 1963. Today, it is Kenya’s biggest rice growing project. It covers the southern region of Kirinyaga County. The paddies are sown during the rainy season and are especially worth the look-see between April and July or between November and early December.
The Mwea Irrigation Scheme relies on a network of canals, dams, and reservoirs to distribute water for rice cultivation. The scheme has helped to transform the arid plains into productive agricultural land, allowing for year-round farming. The Mwea Rice Research Station, located within the scheme, conducts research and development activities aimed at improving rice varieties, farming techniques, and water management practices. The station usually collaborates with local farmers, agricultural experts, and international organizations to enhance productivity.
Kenya has implemented various irrigation schemes to improve agricultural productivity, ensure food security, and promote economic development. Irrigation plays a crucial role in Kenya’s agricultural sector, particularly in areas prone to drought and erratic rainfall, by providing a reliable source of water.
Index of Irrigation Schemes in Kenya
Bomet County - Nogirwet Irrigation Scheme, Chebara Irrigation Scheme, Baringo County - Perkerra Irrigation Scheme, Busia County - Bunyala Irrigation Scheme, Kocholia Irrigation Scheme, Embu County - Kaagari-Gaturi Irrigation Scheme, Mwea Rice Irrigation Scheme, Migori County - Lower Kuja Irrigation Scheme, Lower Sabor Irrigation, Rwabura Irrigation Development Project, Tana River County - Bura Irrigation Development Project, Galana Kulalu Irrigation Development, Turkana County - Turkana Irrigation Irrigation Project, West Pokot County - Wei-wei Irrigation Scheme
Known for its agricultural productivity, breathtaking landscapes, and cultural heritage, Kirinyaga is a key contributor to Kenya’s economy. Located at the foot of Mount Kenya, its landscape is characterized by lush green tea and coffee farms, rivers, and rolling hills, and the weather, year-round, is temperate and salubrious.
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A Guide to Kirinyaga County
A Summa Digest of Kirinyaga
About Kirinyaga Way Back When
35 Destinations in Kirinyaga County, arranged as one would visit these - south, west, east then south - with the aid of narratives, images, strip maps and distance chart:
Sagana Getaway Resort, Camp Malta, Tana Station, Thingira Cultural Village, Kwetu Home, Gatitika Falls, River Nyamindi, Mwea Rice Scheme, Mwea Classic Marathon, Ndaraca ya Ngai, Rukenya Islands, Murinduko Hill, Njukiini Forest, Kijani Camp, Timstep Hotel & Campsite, Savage Wilderness, Rapids Camp, Sagana Fisheries, Ruamuthambi Falls, Thiba Falls, Thiba Dam, Kamuruana Hill, Ragati Conservancy, Kiburi Farm & Stay, Thiba Fishing Camp, Outdoorsman Cabins, Kathiri Falls, Castle Forest Lodge, Castle Falls, Mount Kenya, Kamweti Route, Kangere Falls, Gichugu Farms, Karumandi Falls
Know More About Kirinyaga County: Its Geography, Land-Use, Highlights, Population, Roads - with aid of strip maps, Airports, Climate & National Monuments
Kirinyaga has a true tropical climate with equatorial rainfall pattern. Mean temperature ranges from a low of 8oC in the upper zones to 30oC in the lower zones about Mwea.
Mount Kenya, occupying on the northern half of Kirinyaga, to a large extent influences both the landscape and the climate. The dryer lowland, typified by pleasant rolling plains, covers most of Mwea.