A major intergovernmental summit in Naivasha has reaffirmed a shared commitment by national and county governments to accelerate reforms across Kenya’s agricultural sector, with leaders calling for stronger coordination, better financing, and deeper digital transformation.
The Joint Intergovernmental Summit on Agriculture, held at Enashipai Resort & Spa, brought together the Council of Governors (CoG), the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, development partners and private sector leaders. The forum was graced by Agriculture CS Mutahi Kagwe, CoG Chair Ahmed Abdullahi, governors, principal secretaries and sector stakeholders.
In his address, Abdullahi emphasised that counties remain at the heart of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), noting that agriculture is still the backbone of local economies. He highlighted key milestones such as nationwide farmer registration, development of aggregation parks, expansion of mechanisation, improved value chains and ongoing livestock vaccination campaigns. However, he warned that duplicated mandates and fragmented donor interventions continue to undermine progress.
The summit also explored strategies to strengthen livestock systems, especially in ASAL counties, while pushing for broader youth engagement, improved financing models and the modernization of agricultural extension services. A major focus was the need to break persistent data silos by establishing a unified national agricultural databank.
Delegates witnessed the official handover of the Kenya Integrated Agriculture Management Information System (KIAMIS) from FAO to the government an important step in consolidating data and enhancing digital agriculture governance.
Discussions further centred on scaling emerging technologies and AI tools, securing and diversifying export markets, revising land lease frameworks to unlock investment, and expanding credit guarantee schemes to empower cooperatives and private sector players.
The summit concluded with a joint call for strengthened collaboration across all levels of government and development partners to fast-track agricultural reforms and unlock the sector’s growth potential.
