Kenya has taken a decisive step toward reshaping its agricultural future and potentially influencing food security across East Africa with a Ksh12.5 billion plan to transform the Galana Kulalu Block into one of the continent’s largest irrigated farming zones. The ambitious initiative, anchored in a public–private partnership (PPP) with UAE-based agricultural conglomerate Al Dahra, aims to turn 180,000 acres of land into a highly productive, technology-driven food production hub.
The agreement was formalised on August 8, 2025, through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Al Dahra, Kenya’s National Irrigation Authority (NIA), and the Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC). The partnership is designed to combine Kenya’s agricultural potential with Al Dahra’s global expertise to address domestic food deficits, diversify value chains, and build climate resilience into the country’s farming systems.
At the core of the project is a major infrastructure expansion, including modern storage facilities, over 60 kilometres of internal farm roads, and the extension of irrigation canals to bring water to previously underutilised farmland. A 306 million cubic meter dam will serve as the linchpin of the irrigation network, providing gravity-fed water to 200,000 acres and reducing dependence on erratic rainfall patterns.
Founded in 1995, Al Dahra operates over 400,000 acres of farmland across multiple continents, with a diverse production portfolio spanning rice, maize, fruits, vegetables, and animal feed. In Galana Kulalu, the company will introduce advanced mechanisation, precision agriculture, and climate-smart farming practices, with an initial focus on staples like maize and rice, alongside fodder crops to support meat and dairy value chains.
Kenya’s treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo, who led the MoU signing, noted that the wider Galana Kulalu block covers 1.5 million acres of irrigable land, making it one of the most strategically important agricultural assets in Kenya. Harnessed effectively, he said, this land could substantially boost national food production, cut reliance on imports, raise farm incomes, strengthen foreign exchange earnings, and create thousands of jobs — particularly for young people in rural areas.]
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The Galana Kulalu transformation could have far-reaching effects beyond Kenya, boosting grain and animal feed production to stabilise food prices in neighbouring countries, reducing reliance on extra-continental imports, and strengthening regional food security.
Its scale, PPP financing model, and modern technology could inspire similar large-scale irrigation projects in semi-arid nations like Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Sudan, while expanded output could feed directly into African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) supply chains, keeping more value within the continent. By combining large-scale irrigation with precision farming, the project could set a benchmark for climate-resilient agriculture in Africa, and its surplus production could position Kenya as a competitive exporter of high-value crops and processed foods to premium markets in the Middle East and African urban centres.
While the project’s economic potential is clear, its sustainability will depend on careful management. Large-scale irrigation in water-stressed areas demands strict environmental oversight to prevent over-extraction of water, soil salinisation, and biodiversity loss. Social inclusion is another priority — integrating smallholder farmers into supply chains and ensuring fair benefit-sharing will be crucial to avoid marginalisation of local communities.
For Kenya, the stakes are high. Success at Galana Kulalu would not only strengthen national food security but also position the country as a regional agricultural leader capable of setting the pace for green, resilient farming systems across Africa. Failure, however, could reinforce long-standing concerns about large-scale land deals, environmental degradation, and unequal distribution of agricultural gains.
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As the first phase of work begins, the Galana Kulalu Food Security Project stands as a bold experiment in blending global agribusiness investment with national development priorities. The coming years will reveal whether this vast stretch of semi-arid land can be transformed into a sustainable breadbasket, not just for Kenya, but for the wider African continent.
