Deputy President Kithure Kindiki greets attendees during the official opening of the Agriculture and Food Security Transformation Summit at Jamhuri Park ASK Showground in Nairobi on October 7, 2026./DPCS
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has outlined the government’s progress in transforming Kenya’s agriculture sector, citing increased farmer registration, reduced input costs, higher production and growth in agricultural exports.
Speaking on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, during the official opening of the Agriculture and Food Security Transformation Summit at Jamhuri Park ASK Showground in Nairobi, Kindiki said the government had expanded the national farmer database from about 300,000 farmers to 7.2 million crop farmers and three million livestock keepers.
He noted that agriculture had been placed at the centre of the government’s economic transformation agenda over the past four years, with investments targeting crop production, livestock, fisheries, value addition and food security.
“We upgraded the register of farmers which had only 300,000 of them to the current database of 7.2 million crop farmers and 3 million livestock keepers,” he said.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki at the official opening of the Agriculture and Food Security Transformation Summit at Jamhuri Park ASK Showground in Nairobi on October 7, 2026./DPCS
According to Kindiki, the price of a bag of fertiliser had dropped from KSh7,000 to KSh2,000, while certified maize seed had reduced by 50 per cent from KSh300 to KSh150 per kilogramme.
The Deputy President also highlighted reductions in livestock production costs, saying the price of sexed semen used for artificial insemination of dairy cows had fallen from KSh8,000 to KSh1,400 per dose.
Kindiki said livestock vaccination had also been expanded, with 8.9 million cattle vaccinated under an ongoing programme targeting the country’s estimated 22 million cattle and 50 million small stock.
He said the interventions had contributed to increased production of maize, sugar and oil crops, while improving incomes for farmers across various value chains.
Kenya’s dairy sector, he added, had recorded significant growth, with milk production increasing from 4.6 billion litres to 5.2 billion litres.
The value of dairy products had also risen from KSh4.9 billion to KSh8.9 billion, while meat exports increased from KSh8.9 billion to KSh12.9 billion.
Kindiki further pointed to progress in agro-processing, saying 17 County Aggregation and Industrial Parks had been completed and were being equipped to begin operations.
The facilities are expected to support value addition, agro-processing and the creation of new markets for agricultural products.
The Deputy President said extension services had also been revamped, while earnings from key value chains, including coffee, tea, milk, macadamia, pulses and avocado, had increased.
On fisheries, Kindiki highlighted investments in infrastructure and support programmes aimed at increasing the contribution of the blue economy to the national economy.
He cited the establishment of fishing ports at Shimoni and Liwatoni, 18 fish landing sites along the Indian Ocean and Lake Victoria coastlines, as well as the provision of hundreds of small fishing boats to fisherfolk.
More than KSh3 billion in grants had also been provided to beach management units, while fish cages and fingerling production facilities had been established.
Kindiki said the Kabonyo and Shimoni centres of aquaculture excellence had further supported the development of the fisheries sector.
He said the combined interventions had helped increase the value of fisheries and the blue economy from KSh37 billion to KSh59 billion.
The government has also stepped up the use of technology in agriculture, with Kindiki saying smart agriculture and precision farming were being promoted as part of efforts to improve productivity.
He said research and innovation had resulted in new crop varieties, improved animal breeds and better farming technologies.
Kindiki placed farmers at the centre of the government’s agricultural transformation agenda, describing them as key to Kenya’s efforts to achieve food self-sufficiency.
“At the centre of this impressive transformation is the farmer: hardworking, resilient and patriotic enough to know that their work is not just about livelihood, it is also about making our country self-sufficient in matters food,” Kindiki said.
