The Ministry of Energy and Petroleum has initiated a Sh45 million programme to rehabilitate the banks of river Mathioya.
In the programme, trees and fodder will be planted along a 10km riparian stretch on both sides of the river. The programme called Kenya Energy Sector and Social Responsibility Programme Fund will be implemented in partnership with the Murang’a government.
It will take a period of four years and aims at averting soil erosion that has led to siltation in Mathioya dam.
The dam that is located a few kilometres from Murang’a town provides water to Wanjii power station ran by KenGen.
The river is one of the biggest in Murang’a county. It drains into River Tana and supports Masinga dam, a major hydropower reservoir and part of the Seven Forks hydropower stations.
Deputy director of renewable energy Esther Wang’ombe said siltation of the dam has been affecting production of electricity at the power station.
“The siltation has been occasioned by soil erosion along River Mathioya mostly due to farming activities,” she said.
Wang’ombe, who is the coordinator of the project, said it finances activities related to soil conservation and preservation of water catchment areas near hydropower dams.
It will work with farmers along the southern stretch of the river to plant trees and fodder along the river banks.
Officials from the county administration helped identify worst affected areas and the farmers who would be involved in the programme.
Local administrators were then engaged in gathering of information on the tree species affected farmers preferred.
“Chiefs, their assistants and village elders also helped to procure and disburse the seedlings to farmers. Gabions will also be constructed and terraces dug on farms near the river to stem soil erosion," she said.
The deputy director noted that under the programme, more than 70,000 tree seedlings were planted during the long rains season between March and May this year.
This season, farmers are only waiting to plant fodder and a variety of fruit tree seedlings,” she added.
She said the project will contribute greatly to the government’s campaign to have 15 billion trees planted in a period of 10 years while helping to conserve the river.
A monitoring exercise conducted last month indicated that over 90 per cent of the seedlings planted last season survived.
The monitoring exercise conducted quarterly, however, revealed that some farmers faced the challenge of having some of the fruit trees seedlings planted in their farms stolen.
This, Wang’ombe said, prompted the farmers to uproot the remaining trees and plant them away from the riverine and nearer to their homesteads, defeating the purpose of the project.
