Mwea Rice Paddies Plagued by Snails as Duty-Free Imports Loom

In Summary

• Invasive apple snails threaten Mwea rice paddies, damaging up to 50–80% of seedlings.
• Over 1,500 acres affected in Ndekia, Tebere, and Kimbimbi sections.
• Farmers report doubled costs (KSh 20,000/ha) for snail management, eroding profits.
• Duty-free import of 500,000 tonnes of rice from July–December 2025 sparks protests.
• Government assures local rice purchase by KNTC, but farmers demand stronger protections.
• Efforts underway to control snails with biopesticides, ducks, and drainage techniques.

Rice farmers in the Mwea Irrigation Scheme, Kirinyaga County, are grappling with a severe invasion of golden apple snails (Pomacea canaliculata), which threaten the region’s rice production, as the government moves forward with a controversial duty-free rice import plan.

The snails, first reported in Mwea in 2020, have infested over 1,500 acres, particularly in Ndekia, Tebere, and Kimbimbi, causing crop damage of 50–80% in direct-seeded and newly transplanted rice, according to a 2022 CABI study.

Farmers like Monica Wambui in Mwea East report that the snails, which thrive in wet paddies, chew through rice shoots, devastating nurseries and young crops. “We’re spending KSh 20,000 per hectare on labor to handpick snails and eggs, yet yields are dropping,” she said. The snails, identifiable by their muddy brown shells and bright pink egg masses, can lay up to 3,000 eggs and hibernate in mud for six months, re-emerging when fields are flooded.

Compounding the issue, the government’s July 1, 2025, gazette notice allowing duty-free importation of 500,000 tonnes of Grade 1 milled white rice until December 31, 2025, has sparked protests. Mwea, which produces over 70% of Kenya’s rice (264,000 tonnes in 2024/2025), faces a 770,000-tonne deficit against a 1.3 million-tonne demand.

Farmers fear cheap imports, priced at KSh 70–80 per kg from Pakistan and India, will undercut local rice at KSh 100–160 per kg, with some traders allegedly repackaging imports as Mwea Pishori or Basmati.

Agriculture CS Mutahi Kagwe, responding to the outcry on August 1, 2025, assured farmers that the Kenya National Trading Corporation (KNTC) will prioritize purchasing 5,000 tonnes of local rice, valued at KSh 500 million, with payments within one month. “We’re committed to clearing local stocks first,” Kagwe said.

However, farmers like Pius Njogu remain skeptical, citing past KNTC payment delays and the high cost of inputs like fertilizer, which make competing with imports challenging.

Efforts to control the snail invasion include draining fields during the first 30 days of planting, handpicking snails and eggs, and introducing ducks to eat young snails, though these methods have proven only partially effective. Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru noted that a pilot pesticide program failed, and researchers are seeking effective biopesticides, as chemical options harm aquatic life. “We’re working with the national government to find a solution,” she said.

Farmers are also adopting climate-smart practices like transplanting older seedlings (25–30 days) and using barriers in water canals, as advised by Mwea Research Centre’s Vincent Koskei. However, high labor costs and water shortages exacerbate the crisis. “We need affordable inputs and better irrigation to survive both snails and imports,” said farmer Joseph Mwangi.

The government, in partnership with Japan, is expanding Mwea’s irrigation infrastructure to boost production to 846,000 tonnes by 2032.

Meanwhile, KEPHIS is enforcing quarantine measures to curb snail spread to other rice-growing areas like Ahero and Bura. The AFA plans to monitor import impacts and engage farmers before the duty-free window closes, but urgent action is needed to protect Mwea’s rice industry and farmer livelihoods.