Baringo, August 31, 2026
(Public Communication and Media Relations)
Agricultural technical team from Turkana County has visited Baringo county for a benchmarking program focused on the establishment and operationalization of the County Irrigation Development Unit (CIDU). The model aims to transform irrigation and strengthen food security in the county.
The team is seeking to learn from Baringo’s experience in developing and managing irrigation schemes, with discussions focusing on the establishment of the CIDU and its contribution to agricultural production.
The visit follows a stakeholders’ sensitization workshop held in November 2025 on the proposed establishment of CIDU in Turkana County.
Led by County Secretary Dr Richard Ekai, the Turkana team held discussions with Baringo officials on irrigation development, and community participation.
Baringo has implemented 35 irrigation schemes, providing the Turkana technical team with an opportunity to learn from the county’s experience in expanding irrigation and enhancing agricultural production.
Baringo County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture, Livestock Development and Fisheries Risper Chepkonga said the CIDU model had helped the county improve the management of its irrigation schemes and strengthen farmers’ capacity.
“Through CIDU, we have been able to map all our irrigation schemes, develop a county irrigation strategy and provide capacity building for farmers across the schemes,” Chepkonga said.
Dr Ekai said irrigation was key to improving food security, noting that Turkana could draw important lessons from Baringo’s experience.
“Irrigation is the only way to grow food and eradicate diseases and malnutrition. Since the two counties share similar features, this exposure visit is important to us as we seek to learn how Baringo has been able to achieve this dream,” Dr Ekai said.
The delegation is expected to continue its engagement with Baringo officials tomorrow through visits to selected irrigation schemes, where it will assess their operations and interact with farmers and other stakeholders.
The lessons gathered during the exposure visit are expected to inform ongoing efforts to establish and operationalize CIDU model in Turkana County.
The visit is being supported by the Food Systems Resilient Project (FSRP).
The delegation includes members of the Turkana County Assembly led by the Chairman of the Agriculture Committee, Hon. William Etubon, members of the County Public Service Board led by its Chairman, Peter Ekunyuk and Chief Officer David Maraka, who leads officials from the Department of Agriculture, Irrigation and Land Reclamation.
The State Department of Irrigation was represented by Lawrence Muriithi.
