LBDA Big Four Programmes and Projects
The Government of Kenya has prioritized the Big Four Agenda for implementation in the next five years. The Big Four presents four key areas of focus that will transform the lives and wellbeing of the citizens of Kenya.
The Lake Basin Development Authority is cognizant of the importance of this development agenda and has defined the programmes and projects that are aligned to the Big Four agenda as follows:
1 .Manufacturing, Industrialization and Value Addition
a) Upscaling of the Kibos Rice Mill – LBDC
The LBDC – Rice Mill was developed to provide market for the produce of paddy rice farmers and to enhance food security in the Lake Basin region. It has been operating below its installed capacity and the Authority plans to revamp it to operate efficiently and increase its production capacity. The revamped mill will be able to process paddy rice at a rate of 3.5 tonnes per hour and will employ 400 people.
b) Integrated Fruits & Vegetables Processing Plant
The Lake Basin has great potential for horticultural production and contributes immensely to Kenya’s horticultural exports. The Authority plans to enhance horticultural production in the region by creating access to ready market for the horticultural farmers in the region. The Plant will be established in Kisumu and will have a processing speed of 10 tons per hour. It will employ 6,000 people both directly and indirectly.
c) Modern Honey Processing Plant
The Authority has a honey refinery at Ndhiwa in Homabay with installed capacity of two tonnes per year. The refinery will be transformed into a modern honey processing plant with an annual processing capacity of 6 tonnes. The project will create 150 jobs and will provide market for farmers engaged in honey production.
d) Animal Feed Processing Plant
The animal feed processing plant will be established to maximize the use of wastes such as rice husks, sugarcane tops and bagasse, maize stalks, etc. The plant will be set up in Kisumu next to the Kibos LBDC Rice Mill. The plant will process 61,875 tonnes of animal feed per year and employ 1,000 people both directly and indirectly.
e) Cotton Ginnery and Oil Press Factory
The Authority has planned to establish a cotton ginnery and oil press factory as part of the larger government strategy of reviving cotton production (BT Cotton) as well as the local textile industry.
2. Food and Nutrition Security
Under this pillar the Government will focus on initiatives that guarantee food security and nutrition to all Kenyans by 2022 through expansion of food production and supply, reduction of food prices to ensure affordability and support value addition in the food processing value chain. Towards this end, the Lake Basin Development Authority has prioritized the following projects:
- Lichota, Muhoroni and Alupe Solar Irrigation Project
- Nyakach-Kano Irrigation Development Project
- Kano-Kajulu Irrigation Development Project
- Regional Demonstration and Technology Development Centres
- Kimira- Oluch Smallholder Farm Improvement Project
3. Affordable Housing
Under this pillar, the Government of Kenya will strive to provide at least five hundred thousand (500,000) affordable new houses to Kenyans by 2022, and thereby improve the living conditions for Kenyans. The Lake Basin Development Authority has prioritized the following projects that are geared towards this end:
- LBDA Headquarters and Housing Project
- Building and construction clay products at Sironga and Kodera