Why Kenya must change how to fund agriculture
By Hon Sammy Weya
Kenya is fundamentally an agricultural country, yet agriculture has never received the level of guaranteed investment that its importance to our economy, food security and employment deserves.
I believe the law should be changed to require that:
10 per cent of all funds allocated to County Governments should be ring-fenced for agriculture.
The National Government should then match that 10 per cent allocation.
The money should be strictly invested in: Crop farming, livestock development, aquaculture and fisheries, agroforestry and commercial tree farming, irrigation and mechanisation, certified seedlings and farm inputs, agricultural extension services, agro-processing and value addition, storage, cold chains and marketing, women and youth agribusiness, water harvesting and climate-smart agriculture.
WHY?
If we invest seriously in agriculture, we can: Create millions of jobs, increase farmers’ incomes, reduce the cost of food, achieve food security, reduce imports, develop rural industries, create opportunities for our youth, increase exports, protect our environment, lift millions of Kenyans out of poverty.
Agriculture should not be treated as an afterthought in Kenya’s budgets. It should be at the centre of our economic transformation.
Let us demand a 10% County Agriculture Fund + 10% National Government Matching Fund, properly ring-fenced, transparently managed and focused on the farmer.
Invest in the farmer and you invest in Kenya.
Using the current FY 2026/27 figures, we can put a fairly clear number behind your proposal.
The National Treasury’s 2026/27 Budget Policy Statement proposed KSh 420 billion as the equitable share going to the 47 counties. The wider total county allocation, including additional allocations, is about KSh 495.7 billion.
If we use the KSh 420 billion equitable share:
Proposal Calculation Amount per year
County equitable share is KSh 420 billion.
10% ring-fenced for agriculture 10% × 420B KSh 42 billion
National Government matching contribution 1:1 match KSh 42 billion
Total annual agricultural fund 42B + 42B com to KSh 84 billion
So your proposal would create an approximately KSh 84 BILLION PER YEAR national agricultural development fund.
And that’s before considering the additional KSh 75.7 billion in proposed county allocations.
What makes the proposal powerful
KSh 84 billion every year could be deliberately divided among:
Crop production
Coffee, tea and other cash crops
Livestock
Aquaculture
Agroforestry and commercial forestry
Irrigation and water harvesting
Mechanisation
Certified seedlings and inputs
Agro-processing and value addition
Storage and cold-chain infrastructure
Extension services
Youth and women agribusiness
Agricultural exports
Importantly, this would not mean KSh 84 billion simply being handed out as farm subsidies.
The legislation could require the money to be invested in productive agricultural infrastructure, farmers, cooperatives, extension, value addition and agribusiness—with strict reporting and auditing.
The strongest way to present the idea
If Kenya is serious about eliminating poverty, creating jobs, reducing food prices and achieving food security, we must invest in the sector that employs and feeds the nation.
Let us legislate that 10% of County Government equitable-share funds be ring-fenced for agriculture, with the National Government providing a matching 10%.
Based on the current allocation, this could create approximately KSh 84 billion every year for agriculture, aquaculture, agribusiness and agroforestry.
That is an investment—not a handout. Invest KSh 84 billion productively every year and let us build millions of jobs, increase farmer incomes, reduce food costs and transform rural Kenya.
KENYA’S AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION MUST START NOW
The writer is the Former Alego MP and a farmer
