Turkana County sets up Irrigation Development Unit to strengthen food security and expand agricultural output

The Turkana County Government has announced the creation of the County Irrigation Development Unit (CIDU) to boost agricultural productivity by expanding irrigated land. The new unit, aligned with the Irrigation Act of 2019, will oversee small-scale and county-led irrigation projects

The Turkana County Government has announced plans to establish a County Irrigation Development Unit (CIDU) within the current financial year, signaling a structural shift in how irrigation projects are managed at the devolved level. The proposal was discussed during a sensitization workshop in Lokichar convened by the county’s Department of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, bringing together representatives from the State Department of Irrigation, the County Public Service Board, the County Assembly, and the Office of the County Attorney.

CIDU will function as the supervisory authority for small-scale irrigation schemes and county-led public irrigation projects, in line with the Irrigation Act of 2019. Officials indicated that establishing the unit is increasingly necessary for counties seeking financial support from the National Government and development partners.

The move is intended to harmonize fragmented irrigation initiatives and expand irrigated acreage to boost food production in Turkana, a region vulnerable to climate variability and food insecurity. By formalizing oversight structures, the county aims to improve project planning, funding absorption, and long-term asset management.

For agribusiness investors, development agencies, and smallholder farmers, the operationalization of CIDU could improve coordination, enhance eligibility for resilience-focused programs such as the Food Systems Resilience Project, and strengthen Turkana’s capacity to scale climate-adaptive agriculture.