William Ruto says Nasa's manifesto does not mention irrigation. It does
Drip irrigation at Shem at a watermelon farm in Rwompo village, Imenti South, on November 22 2016. PHOTO | PHOEBE OKALL| NATION MEDIA GROUP
Does the Nasa manifesto not mention irrigation?
“…. People of Machakos, I want to tell you. I want you to read the Nasa manifesto. The Nasa manifesto doesn’t have even a sentence regarding irrigation. Are you going to vote gambling with your lives?...” - Deputy President William Ruto in Machakos on July 5, 2017
The National Super Alliance manifesto states that Kenya’s food security depends on irrigation of drylands. This statement is found in Pillar Five, on realising social and economic rights.
The document says that despite the existence of many water harvesting technologies which can support small scale irrigation their adaption has been low.
“Nasa’s goal is to eliminate dependency on rain-fed agriculture by scaling up adaption of water harvesting and small scale irrigation,” the manifesto states.
Many of Nasa proposals on ensuring food security are similar to what is in the Jubilee manifesto.
Both manifestos however do not spell out how they will fund their initiatives. According to the World Bank, only 10 per cent Kenya’s land area is arable. Other sources put the figure at 20 per cent.
It is not true that the Nasa manifesto does not have even one sentence about irrigation.
