President William Ruto engaged farmers, agricultural stakeholders and members of the public during the Agriculture and Food Security Presidential Town Hall at Jamhuri Park in Nairobi on Thursday, where he fielded questions and outlined his administration’s priorities for the sector.
The town hall brought together farmers and other players in agriculture to discuss food production, farmer incomes, access to inputs, value addition and the wider transformation of the sector.
Ruto said he was addressing the forum not only as President but also as a farmer, describing farming as one of his greatest passions.
“I am also speaking as a farmer. And if there is one thing that I am very proud of, is that I am a farmer, and I love farming,” he said.
The President highlighted the expansion of the digital farmer registration platform, saying the number of registered farmers had grown from about 400,000 when he took office to 8.9 million.
He said the platform was helping the government better target agricultural interventions and curb fertiliser cartels through the use of ministry-issued vouchers.
Ruto also defended the government’s decision to shift from subsidising food at the point of consumption to supporting production at the farm level. He cited the reduction of fertiliser prices to Sh2,000 as part of efforts to lower production costs and improve farmers’ returns.
The President further pushed for greater value addition, saying Kenya should process its agricultural and other raw materials locally rather than exporting them in raw form.
He said the government was also working to expand local leather manufacturing, with a target of ending shoe imports within the next two to three years. Ruto said even boots used by uniformed officers, which are currently imported, should be manufactured locally.
The engagement formed part of the government’s broader push to strengthen food security, increase agricultural productivity and ensure farmers derive greater value from their produce.
