Ruto hails agricultural reforms, cites registration of seven million farmers in digital drive

President William Ruto flagged off a livestock restocking programme for pastoralist farmers affected by drought in Garissa County. (PCS)

By Rachael Mutabasi
Thursday, November 20, 2025

Ruto said that over 7.1 million farmers are now registered on the Kenya Integrated Agricultural Management Information System(KIAMIS), up from fewer than 300,000 in 2022.

President William Ruto has hailed significant gains in Kenya’s agricultural sector, describing the reforms as transformative for farmers, food security, and the nation’s economy.

Speaking during his 2025 State of the Nation Address to the 13th Parliament on Thursday, Ruto said that over 7.1 million farmers are now registered on the Kenya Integrated Agricultural Management Information System (KIAMIS), up from fewer than 300,000 in 2022. The system, he explained, allows the government to design targeted interventions and curb exploitation by middlemen, brokers, and cartels.

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"Mr Speaker, one of the greatest contributors to the high cost of living is the cost of food. Kenyans in 2022 marched with empty sufurias, a stark symbol of frustration and the unbearable costs of basic commodities. From the very outset, we made an intentional and strategic decision to subsidise production, and not consumption. We understood that lasting relief would not come from temporary subsidies and price controls, but from strengthening the foundations of agricultural production," Ruto said.

He highlighted the fertiliser subsidy programme as a key driver of progress, noting that over 21 million bags of subsidised fertiliser have been distributed, reducing prices by nearly two-thirds and saving farmers Sh105 billion.

In 2025 alone, seven million bags of fertiliser and 35 million kilos of certified seed were delivered, with 12.5 million bags planned for 2026 across all 1,450 wards. National maize harvests have risen from 44 million bags in 2022 to 67 million in 2024, with a historic 70 million bags projected this year, while the price of a 2kg packet of flour has fallen from Sh250 to as low as Sh130.

"The results are visible in markets and homes. The price of a 2kg packet of flour has fallen from Sh250 in 2022 to as low as Sh130 today. For millions of households, this is meaningful daily relief," Ruto said.

The president also spotlighted gains in other agricultural sectors: tea earnings rose from Sh138 billion in 2022 to Sh215 billion in 2024; coffee earnings increased from Sh70 per kilo to between Sh120 and Sh150, with exports projected to reach 150,000 metric tonnes within three years.

Edible oil acreage expanded by 90 per cent between 2022 and April 2025, cutting the import bill by Sh17 billion, with an aim to halve the bill by 2027, saving Sh60 billion in foreign exchange. Cotton production has nearly tripled, cashew nut yields have grown following the distribution of 900,000 seedlings, and coconut output has increased after one million seedlings were provided.

The sugar sector is stabilising, with cane area up by 200,000 acres, production rising 76 per cent to over 815,000 metric tonnes, and imports down 70 per cent. Nzoia, Muhoroni, Sony, and Chemelil factories have been leased to competent private operators to maintain progress.

Ruto emphasised livestock and dairy reforms, reporting leather exports up 56 per cent to Sh2.5 billion, local shoe production exceeding 11 million pairs annually, and meat exports growing 45 per cent to Sh12.9 billion. Milk production surged to 5.3 billion litres, while exports nearly doubled to Sh9.4 billion. Support for dairy farmers includes 230 new milk coolers, nearly 8 million animals vaccinated, 94 million vaccine doses produced by KEVEVAPI, and a reduction in the cost of sexed semen from Sh8,000 to Sh1,000 per dose.

"The outcome of these reforms is unmistakable: we have enhanced food security, raised farmer incomes, driven agro-industrialisation, and expanded Kenya’s export footprint. This is the transformation we promised, now unfolding across our nation," Ruto said, adding that the initiatives fulfil national values and principles of governance, particularly sustainable development, under Article 10 of the Constitution.