Mutunyi Irrigation Scheme

The Mutunyi Irrigation Scheme was a furrow based irrigation scheme that delivers water for domestic, livestock and irrigation purposes to almost 600 families.  It is situated on the Northern boundary of Lewa Wildlife Conservancy.  The scheme draws water from the Rugusu River. 

The scheme committee, which is responsible for the management of the project, pursued the interest of converting the furrow based water delivery system into a piped gravity system late 90s.  A piped gravity system is generally considered to be substantially more efficient in terms of delivering water to the fields.  Therefore the irrigated area can be expanded without any additional increase in abstraction from the river.  A piped delivery system can also be combined with in-field sprinkler irrigation, which is more efficient and more suitable for many of the horticultural crops being grown than the existing furrow system.

The Community with the help of Lewa wildlife conservancy approached Community Development Trust Fund (CDTF) with an application for financial assistance. CDTF accepted the proposal on condition that the cost of the project being Kshs 18,196,676.85, the community would contribute 25% of this amount in unskilled labour and cash contributions and 75% would be by CDTF.

Rural Focus, a consulting firm based in Nanyuki, was contracted to do the Project design and supervise the project implementation.

The final design consists of the following components:

• a reinforced concrete weir on the Rugusu River.
• a sedimentation tank designed to reduce the sedimentation and floating debris in the water
• a 225 mm diameter delivery main
• a break pressure tank situated in Lewa Wildlife Conservancy.
• Three sub-mains that deliver water into the irrigated area
• Laterals and individual connections that deliver water to each homestead.