First Lady Rachael Ruto speaks at Kachororoni Primary School in Ganze sub-county during the distribution of milk to learners at Kachororoni and Gandini Primary Schools in Kilifi county on Thursday, July 3, 2025.
A visit meant to celebrate progress in the fight against hunger laid bare the harsh realities facing residents of Ganze, Kilifi County, where First Lady Rachel Ruto’s flagship kitchen gardening initiative is being undermined by a persistent water crisis.
As Mrs Ruto toured the region to promote her Feed One, End Hunger programme, she was met with pleas from residents and school leaders who said that without reliable access to water, the well-intentioned project is at risk of failing.
Speaking during the handover of milk to learners at Kachororoni and Gandini primary schools, Mrs Ruto acknowledged that resolving water shortages in the semi-arid Ganze region is essential to sustaining the kitchen gardening initiative.
The Ganze community which largely depends on water pans replenished during the rainy season has limited access to piped water.
Years of erratic rainfall have caused crop failures and increased reliance on government and donor food aid.
The First Lady affirmed that despite well-intended promises by leaders, local realities can hinder implementation.
“Sometimes we go around the country making promises but in reality, whatever we say cannot work. I can promise to drill as many boreholes as possible but they turn out dry or the water is salty,” she said.
She pledged to meet with Kilifi leaders to explore viable long-term water solutions that avoid wasting public resources.
“We will get water but how we do that is what we want to discuss with the county, national government and my office to find a lasting solution—not a short-term one, then we move on,” she added.
At the two schools, learners have set up kitchen gardens but the water shortage has made maintenance difficult.
Gandini Primary School headteacher Hellen Mwaringa appealed for a permanent solution to the water crisis.
“Reliable water access is vital for sustaining the kitchen gardens, supporting hygiene and ensuring the success of the project,” she said.
Ganze MP Kenneth Kazungu highlighted the long-standing marginalisation of the region and its ranking among Kenya’s poorest constituencies.
He added that kitchen gardens can improve food security and also offer families a potential source of income, pledging to support the First Lady’s call for funding to expand the initiative.
“Ganze children are very bright but poverty is the main challenge. Many go to school on an empty stomach and lose focus because they are always thinking of the problems back at home,” he said.
Kilifi Deputy Governor Flora Chibule encouraged the community to recycle wastewater to help keep the gardens alive while awaiting long-term solutions.
She said both the kitchen gardening and milk programmes would enhance children’s nutrition and boost school enrollment.
“No child can focus in class on an empty stomach,” she said, adding that livestock farmers should be supported to sustain the milk initiative.
The kitchen gardens at Kachororoni and Gandini primary schools were launched earlier this year. Their future now depends on overcoming the area’s persistent water crisis.
