Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Sen. Mutahi Kagwe, has warned development partners against imposing generic agricultural projects on Kenya, declaring that the country will reject initiatives that are not locally designed and aligned to its specific needs.
Speaking during the National and County Governments Consultative Meeting with the World Bank at Sarova White Sands Hotel in Mombasa, Kagwe emphasized that Kenya’s agricultural priorities must be structured internally and funded based on local realities — not external templates.
“Do not tell us you are funding us because you are funding 20 other countries. We are not the same. Our needs are different,” Kagwe stated firmly. “We want to be initiators. We want to be co-designers. We will reject projects that we have not tailored.”
The meeting brought together Principal Secretary for Agriculture Dr. Kipronoh Ronoh, Agriculture Council of Governors Chair and Baringo Governor H.E. Ken Lusaka, ASAL representative Governor Nathif Jama, over 40 County Executive Committee Members (CECs), the CEO of the Council of Governors, representatives from the National Treasury, and the World Bank country team.
The CS called on governors to properly structure county agricultural programs and link them directly to the Kenya Agricultural Digital Information Center (KADIC) and the Kenya Integrated Agriculture Management Information System (KIAMIS).
“Leverage on convergence. Avoid duplication. Plug into national systems,” he urged.
Kagwe stressed that counties must align their agricultural investments with national digital platforms to improve coordination, transparency, and measurable impact.
Currently, 7.2 million farmers have been registered under KIAMIS, with 5.5 million receiving digital advisory services including agronomy, weather, and market updates via mobile phones.
The consultative meeting reviewed progress of two major World Bank–funded programs — the National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP) and the Food Systems Resilience Project (FSRP) — which together amount to KSh 49.5 billion.
Kagwe reminded stakeholders that the funds are loans that must be repaid, calling for strict fiduciary discipline and value for money.
“These are not ordinary projects. Their success or failure has consequences for food security and national stability,” he said.
The CS also raised concern over Kenya’s annual KSh 500 billion food import bill, terming it unsustainable and a threat to food sovereignty.
Through Public-Private Partnership lease models and the Land Commercialization Initiative (LCI), the government is targeting large-scale production of palm oil, maize, rice, wheat, sorghum and other high-value crops to reduce imports and strengthen self-sufficiency.
On livestock, Kagwe reported that over 700,000 animals have been vaccinated under the ongoing nationwide campaign, which is being integrated with traceability systems to unlock export markets.
The government is prioritizing feedlots, rangeland management, livestock markets, and breeding improvements — particularly in ASAL counties.
The consultative meeting marked a shift in tone from traditional donor-recipient dynamics toward co-creation and strategic ownership.
Governors were encouraged to move from being implementers of externally structured programs to architects of their own agricultural transformation strategies.
The meeting concluded with a renewed commitment to strengthen intergovernmental collaboration under the Council of Governors and JASCCoM framework while enhancing structured engagement with development partners.
