The Kenyan government has launched an ambitious Ksh1.47 trillion programme aimed at turning agriculture into a modern, technology-driven sector that creates jobs, boosts exports and strengthens food security.
Speaking in Nairobi on Wednesday, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe unveiled the Kenya AgriConnect Compact (2025–2030), a five-year initiative developed in partnership with the World Bank. The programme seeks to use technology to improve farming, reduce losses and attract billions of shillings in private investment.
Under the plan, farmers will gain access to digitised services, agritech platforms that improve market traceability and advanced processing technologies designed to cut post-harvest losses, a long-standing challenge that costs farmers millions of shillings every year.
The government will invest Ksh492.5 billion as seed funding, hoping to attract an additional Ksh984.9 billion from private investors.
Kagwe said the initiative marks a shift in how Kenya views agriculture.
“The AgriConnect Compact positions agriculture not as a subsistence sector, but as a modern, technology-enabled, climate-smart and investment-ready engine for inclusive economic transformation,” he said.
The CS explained that government funding will be used to build key infrastructure and reduce investment risks, making sectors such as dairy, horticulture and edible oils more attractive to businesses and financiers.
The reforms also aim to cut food staple imports by half while increasing high-value agricultural exports by 60 percent, helping Kenya become more self-sufficient and competitive in global markets.
Perhaps the biggest promise of the programme is employment. The government projects that the initiative will create nearly 2.5 million jobs by 2030, particularly for young people in agro-processing, logistics, digital supply chains and agribusiness management.
“The jobs to be created will be real jobs with dignity. The food security we achieve will mean that no Kenyan goes to bed hungry,” Kagwe said.
With the strategy, funding framework and political backing now in place, the government says the next step is getting the private sector on board to help turn Kenya’s agricultural ambitions into reality.
