Mr Kagwe, make farming profitable again

Kenya stands at a crossroads. Agriculture, the bedrock of the nation’s economy, cannot adequately feed the nation. Meanwhile, the climate is changing and becoming more hostile.

Yet, agriculture still struggles with outdated practices, inadequate policy frameworks, and waning youth interest. Against this dispiriting backdrop, Mutahi Kagwe has been sworn in as the new the next Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development.

With decades of experience in media, business, government, and Parliament, Mr Kagwe has seen it all. As he faced a sometimes-hostile panel, he calmly responded to every question while offering an intricate blend of pragmatism, nostalgia, and a bold ambition for his tenure as Kenya’s top agricultural officer.

His passion for agriculture is deeply personal. He recalls his formative years immersed in rural life, working with coffee beans and planting trees as a member of the 4K Club — a once thriving initiative to introduce young Kenyans to farming.

At the heart of Kagwe’s national agriculture strategy is a single, transformative goal: make farming profitable again. “Everything must revolve around the farmer’s profit and loss statement,” he told MPs.

Kagwe likens this focus to his approach as Minister of Information and Communications when he championed universal mobile phone and high-speed internet access as a cornerstone of development. However, a stark statistic looms over Kenya’s agricultural sector: the average farmer’s age is 65, while the nation’s population skews overwhelmingly youthful. For Kagwe, this disconnect can be solved by making agriculture cool.

“Agriculture must be profitable for the farmer and it must be made cool for the youth,” he declared. At the core of his vision, as always, is technology. Kagwe waxed lyrical about using technology to provide real-time market data to farmers and enable fair market access for all. He also spoke about giving youth access to idle land through leasing, a potential game-changer policy. “Young people will only engage in agriculture if it is both profitable and exciting,” Kagwe asserted. No discussion of Kenyan agriculture is complete without addressing the entrenched cartels that plague the sector.

From coffee to sugar, powerful interests have long undermined farmers’ livelihoods. “I am ready to battle the cartels,” he said.

However, Kagwe recognised the magnitude of the cartel challenge and called for collective action, including robust parliamentary oversight, community involvement, and greater transparency within the Ministry of Agriculture.

Another threat is climate change, which poses an existential threat to Kenya’s agriculture sector. Erratic weather patterns, prolonged droughts, and unpredictable rainfall have upended traditional farming practices.

Kagwe told Parliament the country should embrace drought-resistant crops and livestock, expand irrigation infrastructure, and adopt climate-smart practices such as agroforestry. He also advocated insurance schemes to shield pastoralists from devastating losses during droughts. Kagwe insisted that Kenyans would not be guinea pigs for foreign organisations keen to test their products, medicines, or vaccines under his tenure. “In addition, no product that is banned in its country of origin will be allowed into the country”, he added.

Reflecting on his leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic, Kagwe stressed the importance of transparency and communication. “The public must trust that their leaders are acting in their best interest,” he said. When Kagwe arrives at Kilimo House, he will find that he has his work cut out for him.

-Mr Kariuki writes on technology, governance and sustainable practices. observerkenyan@gmail.com