By MKT Reporter
Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe opened the Intergovernmental Agriculture Forum (IGAF) 2025 with a blunt warning that Kenya’s agricultural sector will not withstand future shocks unless county governments and the private sector abandon “business-as-usual” thinking.
Addressing governors, senior government officials, agricultural agency chiefs and private sector leaders, Kagwe said IGAF was not a ceremonial gathering but a constitutional mechanism meant to strengthen cooperation and protect counties as the drivers of national food security.
“We are here not just to discuss agriculture,” he said. “We are fulfilling a constitutional mandate. We must protect counties. We must work in tandem. We cannot do things normally and expect different results,” he said in Naivasha on Thursday.
The forum brought together Council of Governors Chair Ahmed Abdullahi, Vice Chair Muthomi Njuki, Agriculture Committee Chair Ken Lusaka, Livestock PS Jonathan Mueke, Governors Andrew Mwadime and Nathif Jamaa, CECs from all 47 counties, and leaders from major agricultural value chains.
Kagwe delivered some of his strongest remarks to the private sector, saying government cannot sustain Kenya’s agricultural transformation on its own. He argued that counties must create investor-friendly environments capable of attracting capital, new technologies and market-ready innovations.
“Unless and until the private sector is fully enthused and joins agriculture, we cannot achieve results,” he said. “Government cannot endlessly hire or provide more and more money. The vacuum must be filled by the private sector. That is where success will come from.”
The CS also challenged leaders to confront Kenya’s persistent production deficits, questioning why countries with far harsher conditions manage to feed themselves and even export food to Kenya.
“How can India—with over a billion people—and the US with more than 300 million export grain to Kenya? How can Egypt, a desert country, grow enough food?” he asked. “Let us not point fingers. Let us think. Let us innovate.”
Kagwe warned that soil degradation is becoming a national threat, insisting that fertilizers and seeds must be region-specific and guided by science. He said Kenya must fast-track technology-driven soil testing, fertilizer matching and the wider adoption of certified seeds.
He also called for stronger county-led climate adaptation plans to end the recurring cycle of drought-driven livestock losses, and urged action to modernize value chains and build resilience across arid and semi-arid regions.
The CS further raised concern about a looming workforce crisis, noting that half of the Ministry’s staff will retire within five years and key research institutions such as KALRO lack sufficient scientists. He urged curriculum reforms, modernized extension services and the recruitment of young researchers and technicians.
As IGAF 2025 continues today, participants are expected to outline concrete commitments to strengthen national–county collaboration and accelerate Kenya’s shift toward a more productive, resilient and technologically driven agricultural sector.
John Kariuki