The government is planning an additional 10,000-acre maize farm in Kilifi County under the Galana Kalalu Food Security Project, with the National Environmental Management Authority (NEMA) raising concerns over potential water, wildlife and community conflicts linked to the project.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

According to a Gazette Notice published on Friday, August 28, 2026, NEMA has received an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) study report for the proposed project and is now inviting members of the public to submit their views before a decision is made.

The proposed development will involve establishing a 10,000-acre maize farm, rehabilitation of existing water intake works, improvement of infrastructure and development of associated facilities and amenities.

According to the gazette notice, although the Galana Kulalu food security project is a Government of Kenya initiative, this particular phase will be carried out by a company identified as Selu Galana Farm Limited in Selu Village, Kisiki Sub-location, Chakama Location, Lengo Mbaya Division, Magharini Constituency.

📌 What You Need to Know

The project proposes equitable distribution of water and monitoring compliance among different user groups, with a recommendation to form a Galana River Users Association to oversee and manage water abstraction.

The assessment further recommends mapping and marking herders' migration route s and river-access points, and establishing clear rules governing access to the farming area, hence restricting access.

NEMA recommends preserving natural vegetation and wildlife migration corridors, particularly along drainage lines where groundwater and green vegetation can provide important habitats, potentially highlighting the human-wildlife conflicts as agricultural activities expand across the project area.

It proposes maintaining a 100 to 500-metre riverine migration corridor, with vegetation clearance restricted to areas where it is necessary.

The project also proposes the establishment of a three-month irrigation water reserve and calls for the expediting of the construction of the Galana Dam.

To mitigate loss of natural vegetation cover due to the scale of the project, the Authority is proposing a re-vegetation and landscaping programme, as well as the establishment of a tree-seedling nursery using species including tamarind, Acacia, Commiphora and Erythrina.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke