Ilparakuo Food Security Project

Ilparakuo is the Maasai village that provides workers for the now Tata-owned 1910 Lake Magadi Soda Factory – the 1910 British-built railway transports the refined soda crust from the lake to Mombasa for export wordwide. In 2002/3 a UN-Habitat based group of architects worked with CHEC to develop a ‘Village Polytechnic’ at Ilparakuo for constructing model buildings from more environmentally-friendly Stabilized Soil Blocks. It opened in 2004 (see CHEC Points No.50).

The Need for a Food Security Programme

Establishing a Food Security installation and associated works at the existing Maasai Village Polytechnic at Ilparakuo, Magadi, Kenya. The aim is to respond to a local demand for a supporting Food Security installation and associated works at the existing CHEC-led Children’s Learning Centre at the Maasai Village Polytechnic.

Project Outcome

The Children’s Centre is located at the centre of the Ilparakuo Village on top of the escarpment to the east of the Magadi Township. Although the Township houses many of the senior workers for the Soda-Ash processing plant, the Ilparakuo Village is the vital housing area for the remainder of the workforce, including the informal casual workers at and near the Plant. The Children’s Centre is located within the original CHEC Village Polytechnic site on. The eastern edge of the Ilparakuo village.

The Polytechnic has proved essential for skills training in bloc-making, carpentry, and roofing. The Children’s Centre main building was completed by CHEC a few years ago and awaits final approval from the Ministry of Education to be allowed to start operations. The CHEC Food Security Project has been developed alongside the Children’s Centre and has made progress in defining the area for cultivation with strengthened perimeter security, and protection from the wandering goat herds, as well as renovating the main processing and storage areas, the management centre building and the essential ground water tank. There are still negotiations being conducted for the reliable re-filling of the water tank for the irrigation system. This is the expected collaboration task with the new Tata Chemicals Management of the Soda-Ash Plant.

Read the full project report here

Considerable effort has been put into securing the site through Community agreement and reinforcing the boundary with fencing and planting to provide a natural growing-field garden centre (or ‘Shamba’) alongside the existing earlier CHEC Children’s Centre building which will be used as the ‘feeding verandah’ when the crops mature; note the restored Staff House, Toilets, and Store Rooms on site. The success of the project is very dependent on the continued agreement of Tata Chemicals Ltd resupplying bowser water to ground tank.

  • Maasai Village Polytechnic and Children’s Learning Centre, at Ilparakuo, Magadi, Kenya

  • 2023 - 2024

  • Establishing a Food Security installation and associated works at the existing Maasai Village Polytechnic at Ilparakuo, Magadi, Kenya.

    • Securing the site through Community agreement and reinforcing the boundary with fencing and planting.

    • The Polytechnic has proved essential for skills training in bloc-making, carpentry, and roofing

    • The Children’s Centre main building was completed by CHEC a few years ago and awaits final approval from the Ministry of Education to be allowed to start operations

    • The project is very dependent on the continued agreement of Tata Chemicals Ltd resupplying bowser water to ground tank.


Project Photos