Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe on a visit at Kapsara Tea Factory on August 13, 2026. [Courtesy]
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has assured Kenyans that the country will remain food secure despite drought and increasingly unpredictable weather patterns expected to affect agricultural production.
Speaking during a visit to Trans Nzoia County on Thursday, Kagwe said maize production was likely to decline because of the dry conditions, particularly in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs).
However, he said the government had put measures in place to prevent the reduction in local production from developing into a national food shortage.
“We expect maize production to decline because of the drought, but we have put in place measures to ensure this does not translate into a food shortage,” Kagwe said.
The CS said Kenya would supplement local maize supplies through imports, with the government looking to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) region for additional supplies. The move is intended to bridge any gap between domestic production and demand.
Kagwe made the remarks while assessing the impact of the dry conditions on maize production and maize seed multiplication in Trans Nzoia, one of Kenya’s key agricultural counties.