NAIROBI, Kenya, June 30 – The government has unveiled a Sh1 trillion Kenya National Agri-Food Systems Investment Plan (NASIP) 2026–2030, outlining how it intends to finance agricultural transformation over the next five years through a mix of public funding, private investment and development partner support.
The plan, launched during the Financing Agri-Food Systems (FINAS) Summit currently underway in Nairobi, seeks to address limited financing.
The investment plan aims to create more than two million jobs over the next five years, with 30 percent of the opportunities reserved for women and young people.
Speaking during the launch, State Department for Livestock Principal Secretary Jonathan Mueke said previous agricultural strategies had been backed by sound policies but often failed to achieve their objectives because of inadequate funding.
“We always come with very good plans, very good policies and strategies on how we are going to increase production, increase productivity,but there’s always a gap that glares, which is financing.”
“With our new National Agri-Food Systems Investment Plan that we’ve launched today, it has a very clear financing path.”
Under the financing framework, the national and county governments will provide 45 percent of the investment, the private sector will contribute 35 percent, while development partners will finance the remaining 20 percent.
The government said the investment plan provides a structured financing roadmap aimed at accelerating agricultural production, value addition, marketing and market access across priority value chains.
Among the sectors identified for investment are tea, rice, edible oils and macadamia, alongside livestock value chains including leather, meat and dairy.
Officials said the investment programme will support both crop and livestock production while expanding employment opportunities, particularly for women and youth, who account for a significant share of Kenya’s agricultural workforce.
The government is also seeking to improve farmers’ access to affordable credit through existing institutions such as the Agricultural Finance Corporation (AFC), while encouraging commercial banks to increase lending to the agriculture sector.
Development finance institutions, including the World Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), as well as bilateral partners such as Germany and Japan, are also expected to support implementation through loans and grants.
Organisers of the Agricultural Financing Summit said the discussions are intended to move beyond policy dialogue towards implementation by bringing together government, financiers, development partners and the private sector.
Charity Mutegi, Director of FINAS Summit and Dialogue, said African countries need to rethink how agricultural and food systems are financed rather than continuing with the same financing structures.
“We do not want to be labeled a talk show. We want to remain accountable. How can we transition the conversations about food systems finance into action?”
“Kenya is one of the first countries to actually have a country instrument to respond to CAADP at continental level.”
Mutegi said one of the summit’s expected outcomes is closer collaboration between financial institutions and policymakers to improve the regulatory environment for agricultural financing and unlock more investment into bankable agribusiness projects.
The government hopes the investment framework will help bridge Kenya’s long-standing agricultural financing gap while supporting the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda through increased production, higher farmer incomes and expanded value addition across the sector.
