Kenya: Ahero Women Take Up Rice Paddies in Kano Plains

Jun 30, 2026 | Mabel Keya and Tonny Brian
Kenya News Agency
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When you look at the Kano Plains from the window of a speeding matatu on the Kisumu-Nairobi highway, you see an economic miracle draped in lush green.

This is Ahero, the undisputed rice basket of Western Kenya, where water from the River Nyando is guided through miles of canals to flood massive square paddies of rice.

Less than a kilometre from the main township of Ahero, the newly commissioned Sh30 million Ahero Rice Mill buzzes with life.

Commissioned in November 2025 by Kisumu Governor Prof. Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, the machine processes 2.5 metric tonnes of rice per hour. But this is a story for another day.