I will engineer green gold revolution if elected, Kalonzo says

 Wiper party leader Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka, who is also one of the 2022 general election’s presidential hopefuls has said that his key vision would be to midwife a green gold revolution where agriculture would be at the centrestage of growing the economy.

The former vice president made these remarks when he graced the Senate Committee on Agriculture visit at Wikithuki Irrigation Scheme in Tseikuru ward, Kitui county. This is after the scheme was brought back to life following intervention by the national government through the National Irrigation Authority (NIA).

Noting the milestones which have so far been achieved at Wikithuki, Mr. Musyoka said that actualization of the Vision 2030 grand falls dam was the only solution to food insecurity in the country, as it would ensure that maximum land is put under irrigation at Wikithuki. Wikithuki irrigation scheme was started by the grand coalition government which was headed by President Mwai Kibaki and where Mr. Musyoka was his deputy.

Musyoka called upon other contenders in the 2022 race to come up with life changing ideas, and desist from politics of deception.

Factfinding mission

In an interview with Mwingi Times, the Senate Committee Chairman on Agriculture Njeru Ndwiga who is the senator for Embu County said that their visit at Wikithuki was to fact find and see areas where the national government could intervene in order to make the project more successful.

Kitui senator Enoch Wambua who is the vice chair of the committee said that the committee was guided by the recent declaration of drought as a national disaster and would push the government to allocate some funds which were set aside for drought mitigation to expand and solarize the project.

The NIA Engineer in charge of the project Mr Charles Muasya said that so far the irrigation scheme was back to life despite being faced by enormous challenges. Mr. Muasya said that the project needed two billion shillings more so as to put the projected 20,000 acres of land under irrigation.  

The area MP Eng. Paul Nzengu said that leaders from Kitui led by Senator Enoch Wambua were in full support of the project, thanking the NIA for their efforts in reviving the project.

Kitui Women Rep Dr. Irene Kasalu thanked the Senate Committee on Agriculture for visiting the scheme and said that leaders from Kitui would lobby to ensure that the two billion shillings needed to fully operationalize the project are allocated.

STORY By BONIFACE MWANIKI, EDITED By MUSYOKA NGUI