• Hungary is financing a 650 million shilling ($5 million) solar-powered irrigation project in Kisumu County.

• The project will expand the Ahero irrigation scheme by 400 hectares and convert its pumping station into a 500-kilowatt solar hybrid system.

• Kenya imported 897,977 tonnes of milled rice worth nearly $504.8 million, underscoring persistent supply gaps.

The government of Kenya launched construction works on February 26 for the Kobong’o irrigation project in Kisumu County. Hungary is financing the project at a total cost of 650 million shillings ($5 million). The project will modernize and extend the Ahero irrigation scheme, which focuses mainly on rice cultivation.

Together with my cabinet colleague, FCPA Hon. John Mbadi Ng'ongo, EGH, Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury and Economic Planning, and accompanied by H.E. Katalin Nyirati, Ambassador of Hungary to Kenya; CPA Ephantus Kimotho, Principal Secretary for Irrigation; various… pic.twitter.com/dgRLV5GNlG

— Eng. Eric Mugaa (@mugaa_eric) February 26, 2026

According to information reported by the local media outlet The Star, the National Irrigation Authority (NIA) is implementing the project. The project will convert the Ahero pumping station into a hybrid system powered by a 500-kilowatt solar plant. The solar facility will cover an additional 400 hectares. The project will run for 26 months and will conclude in February 2027.

“The project is due for completion in February 2027, and is expected to create 5,000 direct and 10,000 indirect jobs, boost high-value crop production, and generate about KES 250 million annually. It supports the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda and enhances food security,” said Eric Mugaa, Cabinet Secretary for Water, Sanitation and Irrigation.

A boost to strengthen rice production

The Ahero irrigation scheme ranks as Kenya’s second-largest rice production site after Mwea. Data compiled by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) show that Ahero produced 32,768 tonnes of paddy rice in the 2023/2024 season. That volume represented about 11% of national output, which reached 293,627 tonnes during the campaign.

In this context, the new expansion project should increase output at Ahero once authorities complete it. The project should also support Kenya’s broader rice production growth trajectory.

Official KNBS estimates show that Kenya increased paddy harvests by 51% over five years. Production rose from 192,473 tonnes in 2020 to 290,447 tonnes in 2024. However, domestic supply still falls far short of internal demand.

Trade Map data show that Kenya imported 897,977 tonnes of milled rice valued at nearly $504.8 million. This volume makes Kenya the largest rice importer in East Africa.

More broadly, the new investment with Hungarian support confirms the government’s intention to expand irrigated agriculture beyond rice cultivation. In his State of the Nation address on November 20, 2025, President William Ruto stated that the government aims to increase irrigated farmland to nearly 1 million hectares between 2030 and 2032.

For comparison, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimated total equipped irrigated agricultural land in Kenya at only 288,000 hectares in 2023. The Ministry of Water and Irrigation identified priority sites for future irrigation projects in Mandera, Machakos, Kisumu, Laikipia and Turkana counties.

This article was initially published in French by Stéphanas Assocle

Adapted in English by Ange J. A de Berry Quenum