Ruto declares food security key to Kenya’s sovereignty

President William Ruto used his Mashujaa Day address on Monday to frame food security as a pillar of Kenya's sovereignty, warning that no nation dependent on imports can claim true independence.

"Our first priority is food security," he said.

"We cannot speak of prosperity while spending over Sh500 billion each year importing maize, wheat, rice, sugar, and edible oils. This is not just an economic burden — it is a threat to our sovereignty."

Speaking before visiting dignitaries — including Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Mozambique's Prime Minister Maria Benvinda Levy— Ruto outlined an ambitious plan to expand irrigation and modernize agriculture.

"Rain-fed farming can no longer sustain our growing population," he said.

"We will construct at least 50 mega dams to bring two million acres under irrigation within the next decade."

The President added that Kenya must shift from a net food importer to a regional agricultural powerhouse.

His remarks come as Kenya continues to grapple with a widening trade deficit driven by heavy reliance on imported food.

Previous governments have pledged food sovereignty — the right of a nation to define its own food systems — as central to Kenya's independence.

For Ruto, that goal now forms part of a broader argument for national resilience: a country that feeds itself, he said, safeguards its future.

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