MWEA, Kenya – Farmers in the Mwea Irrigation Scheme, Kirinyaga County, are raising the alarm over a fresh invasion of quelea birds that are destroying vast swathes of ripening rice, threatening to wipe out months of hard work and investment.
The farmers say thousands of birds have invaded nearly all sections of the scheme — including Nguka, Wamumu, Karaba, Tebere, Thiba, Cumbiri, and Ndekia — and are consuming grains both during the day and at night.
“We are forced to hire people to chase away the birds from our farms. I have to pay four people Ksh500 each per day to guard a single acre. This will greatly reduce my income,” said John Mwaniki, a farmer from the Thiba section.
According to the farmers, the bird menace began in September when rice crops started maturing.
They accuse both the national government and the Kirinyaga County government of failing to respond despite repeated appeals for aerial spraying, which was last conducted two seasons ago.
“The Ministry of Agriculture and the county government have not helped us this season. Two years ago, they used aeroplanes to spray and eliminate the birds, and it worked. We need that intervention again,” said John Munene, another farmer.
Some farmers, like Jane Wangeci, have resorted to using scarecrows and drums to scare away the birds, but with little success.
“We have been camping in our rice farms from morning to evening, banging drums and shouting, but the birds keep coming back. It’s the whole scheme that’s affected,” Wangeci said.
Residents say the quelea birds have established nesting sites within the paddies, making eradication efforts even harder.
“They are not flying in from elsewhere. They eat our rice during the day and sleep in the same fields at night,” said Mary Mwangi, a farmer from Nguka.
Farmers are now urging local leaders and agricultural authorities to intervene urgently, warning that the infestation could lead to devastating crop losses and threaten food security.
“We need government action. If the spraying is not done soon, we might lose everything,” said John Warui, a rice grower.
The Mwea Irrigation Scheme, the largest rice-growing zone in Kenya, produces about 80 per cent of the country’s rice. Any major losses could directly impact national rice supply and prices.
