The ambitious distribution of certified maize seeds, fertiliser, and piglets in Kiambu has proven to be economically viable and beneficial, gaining widespread traction.
Many farmers from areas like Ngoliba (Thika), Nachu (Kikuyu), and Ndeiya (Limuru), who were once dependent on relief food, now celebrate new-found economic freedom and surplus food.
The Kiambu County government’s initiatives are aimed at tackling food security, enhancing household incomes, and empowering communities economically.
“The distribution of farm inputs and piglets isn’t just about handouts, rather it’s about equipping people with tools for sustainable growth and transforming their lives,” area governor Kimani Wamatangi recently told Kiambu Observer.
Farmers are now enjoying bumper maize harvests with significantly improved yields, while those rearing pigs are making fortunes and credit the initiative with lifting them out of poverty.
Since last year, the initiatives have been distributing free hybrid maize and crop fertilizer to farmers across the county. According to the County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture, Mwenda Kiara, over 300,000 farmers have received farm inputs from the county administration.
“We have made deliberate intentions to ensure food security in the county by providing farm inputs to farmers. During this November season, we are prepared to give inputs to over 60,000 farmers across the agricultural zones in our county,” Mr Mwenda said during a maize seeds and piglets distribution exercise at Ngoliba ward on Thursday, November 6, 2025.
Moses Thinwa, a farmer from the area and a beneficiary of the free maize seeds and fertilizer from the county government of Kiambu, said that the initiative has uplifted hundreds of locals’ economic fortunes.
“Before we started getting the farm inputs, I struggled to access quality seeds, which would negatively affect the yield. Today, those people seeking maize flour in the local shop are making minimal sales because almost everyone in the community is harvesting maize from their farms,” he said.
He said the county government has been ensuring that before rains start, farmers are always ready with seeds and fertilizer.
He and other farmers have also been receiving visits from extension officers from the county government for advice on best farming practices.
Governor Wamatangi says the free farm inputs are meant to cushion the farmers who, he said, incurred huge losses due to the prolonged drought that hit the country between 2020 and early to mid-2023, which left many people grappling with hunger.
Critics have however raised concerns about the sourcing of the farm inputs and piglets. They say that the exercises are likely to siphon public resources owing to the fact that procurement exercises are conducted discreetly.
