Kenya announced it will look to private investors to fund 61 per cent of its KSh598 billion irrigation programme, which aims to bring more than 1.5 million acres under irrigation by 2035.
The appeal was made at the Eastern and Southern Africa Private Sector Forum on Irrigation 2026 in Nairobi on October 5–6.
The financing push is directed at commercial banks, development partners, suppliers of irrigation equipment, agribusiness firms and other private-sector participants.
The Government also said it is collaborating with the World Bank and the International Finance Corporation through the Kenya Climate Resilient Irrigation Scale-Up (K-RISE) programme, which provides financing tools to lower investment barriers.
The scheme, known as the National Irrigation Sector Investment Plan (NISIP) 2025–2035, is intended to raise agricultural output, improve climate resilience and enhance food security.
The Government said the increased irrigation investment is expected to generate jobs, raise farmer incomes and expand market access.
The forum gathered officials and private-sector representatives from Eastern and Southern Africa to discuss the obstacles, risks and market failures that have limited irrigation investment.
By seeking private capital, the Government aims to move away from dependence on public funding and to attract finance, agriculture, irrigation technology and equipment sectors to meet the 2035 target.
Organisers also sought to frame irrigation as an investment opportunity while addressing the risks that have discouraged private financing of agricultural water infrastructure.
