President William Ruto has pledged to lower the cost of fertiliser and seeds ahead of the next planting season, as the government moves to cushion farmers from the effects of failed rains and shore up the country’s food production.
Speaking during a church service at ACK Church Moiben in Uasin Gishu County on Sunday, the President said the intervention would target both the upcoming short rains and next year’s long rains, aiming to encourage farmers to return to their farms and avert potential food shortages.
“Because this part of the country is Kenya’s food basket, we will make sure that we don’t slide into hunger. I want to ask all farmers to return to their farms because the government will scale down the prices of fertilizers and seeds so that we can have enough food,” Ruto said.
The announcement comes after months of below-average rainfall across several parts of the country, with many regions recording poor harvests during the main growing season. Uasin Gishu and the wider North Rift, among Kenya’s key grain-producing areas, have been particularly affected, heightening concerns over national food supplies.
“The government will intervene in the coming short rains season and the long rains next year. We are going to reduce the price of fertilizer and seeds so that more farmers can go back to the farms and produce more food for us and raw materials for our industries,” the President added.
Beyond poor rainfall, farmers have also had to contend with counterfeit fertiliser in circulation. Detectives last week recovered about 3,500 bags of suspected fake fertiliser and arrested three suspects during a raid in Uasin Gishu County, with investigations ongoing.
As part of a longer-term strategy to reduce reliance on rain-fed agriculture, Ruto announced plans to expand irrigation through the National Infrastructure Fund, including the construction of 50 mega dams, 200 medium-sized dams and 1,000 micro dams, particularly in arid and semi-arid areas frequently hit by drought.
The latest pledge builds on previous input subsidy programmes, which officials say have contributed to increased maize production in recent seasons. However, the success of the new measures will depend on timely implementation, adequate rainfall and sustained access to affordable inputs for farmers nationwide.
The President also urged farmers to continue growing both food and cash crops, describing agriculture as central to Kenya’s economic growth, job creation and long-term food security, while defending his separate proposal to launch Vision 2060 as a successor to the outgoing Vision 2030 blueprint.
