Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has promised to secure Sh1 billion for the purchase of locally produced rice as the Government moves to shield Mwea farmers from competition posed by imported grain.
Prof Kindiki said the Kenya National Trading Corporation (KNTC) would be supported to buy rice from farmers during the main harvesting season, with the Government first exhausting locally available stocks before allowing imports into the country.
“We will not import rice until we have bought all the rice produced here in Mwea and in other areas that grow rice in our country,” Prof Kindiki said on Friday during a public sensitisation event in Ngurubani, Mwea Constituency, Kirinyaga County.
He said the planned intervention was intended to guarantee farmers a market, improve their returns and strengthen the country’s food reserves.
The Deputy President said the Government would allocate Sh1 billion to KNTC to enable the corporation to mop up locally produced cereals when harvesting begins later in the year.
The pledge comes as rice farmers in the Mwea Irrigation Scheme prepare for another major harvest, with the area remaining one of Kenya’s leading rice producing zones.
Prof Kindiki said the Government’s agricultural interventions were already yielding better returns for farmers, citing improved prices for coffee and milk and lower fertiliser costs.
He said coffee prices had risen from about Sh50 four years ago to between Sh140 and Sh150, while milk prices had increased from about Sh35 a litre in 2022 to around Sh50.
The Government had also reduced the price of a 50 kilogramme bag of fertiliser from about Sh7,000 in 2022 to Sh2,000, he said.
He added that certified maize seed would henceforth be subsidised, with a kilogramme expected to retail at Sh150 instead of Sh300.
“Farmers must be able to produce at a cost that allows them to make a profit,” Prof Kindiki said, linking agricultural support to the broader Government strategy of improving household incomes and food production.
Away from agriculture, the Deputy President said the Government was implementing an extensive road construction programme in Kirinyaga, with Sh37 billion allocated to projects covering about 500 kilometres.
He said the roads were intended to open up farming areas, reduce transport costs and enable farmers to move their produce to markets more efficiently.
Among the projects under implementation are the Piai–Murinduko–Ndindiruku and Kiandegwa roads in Mwea, the Mucifi–Dia road in Gichugu and other roads in Kirinyaga Central.
Prof Kindiki said the Kangirici–Karira Hospital–Ngurubani road was nearing completion and formed part of a 65 kilometre transport corridor traversing Kirinyaga Central, Ndia and Mwea constituencies.
He also said Karira Bridge, which had been a longstanding challenge for residents, was about 90 per cent complete.
According to the Deputy President, the bridge would be completed within about one and a half months, while tarmac works would extend towards Muthigiti.
He said the Government had cleared debts owed to road contractors, allowing stalled projects across the country to resume.
“The road developments are opening up the economy. Farmers are able to take their produce to the market faster, fares are going down, and that is why we are continuing to expand the roads,” he said.
Prof Kindiki also announced plans to expand the Makutano–Mwea–Embu–Chuka–Meru–Maua highway, saying the project would improve connectivity between agricultural and commercial centres in the region.
The Deputy President also spoke about the Rironi–Mau Summit road, a major transport corridor linking Kiambu, Nakuru and the wider western and Rift Valley regions.
He said the Limuru–Rironi section was progressing rapidly, with the Rironi–Naivasha section expected to be completed by October 26.
The Government, he said, would then push the road towards Gilgil, Nakuru and Mau Summit.
Prof Kindiki said the project was being undertaken through a public private partnership and was intended to eventually provide a dual carriageway connecting major towns along the route.
He linked the road expansion to efforts to improve movement of people and goods between Kiambu, Naivasha, Nakuru, Nyandarua and other counties.
The Government is also preparing to operationalise the Kirinyaga County Aggregation and Industrial Park at Sagana, which has been completed at a cost of Sh500 million.
The national and county governments contributed Sh250 million each towards the facility.
Prof Kindiki said the Government was awaiting the installation of common-user equipment before the park begins value addition and agro-processing activities targeting tomatoes, milk, coffee and other agricultural products.
The facility is expected to provide farmers with alternative markets while allowing them to earn more from processed products rather than selling raw produce.
“The Kirinyaga County Aggregation and Industrial Park is complete, and now we are waiting for the common user equipment to put value addition to the tomatoes, milk and all our agricultural products,” he said.
He said the facility would be operationalised within the next few weeks.
The Government is also expanding electricity connections in Mwea, with Prof Kindiki pledging an additional Sh300 million for the programme.
He said ICT hubs were being established to provide young people with access to digital skills and employment opportunities, while e-commerce would create additional markets for local businesses.
Prof Kindiki also officially opened the new Huduma Centre at Ngurubani, which will provide residents with access to a range of Government services without travelling to Kerugoya or Embu.
The facility was constructed through the Mwea National Government Constituencies Development Fund at a cost of Sh25 million under the leadership of area MP Mary Maingi.
Residents will be able to access services including applications for identity cards, birth and death certificates, police abstracts and Kenya Revenue Authority services.
The centre will also house a Jitume ICT Hub where young people can acquire digital skills and pursue online employment opportunities.
Prof Kindiki said the Government was also pursuing the construction of Nyamindi Dam to increase water supply in Mwea.
The Deputy President used the occasion to challenge his political opponents to focus on their development records rather than trading insults ahead of the 2027 General Election.
He said he would not engage in political name calling, arguing that his preferred approach was to campaign on development and accountability.
“Everybody has his own tactics of leadership. For me, I am not able to insult anybody, and in a competition of insults, I will lose because I have no insults,” he said.
“But when it comes to development competition, no one can defeat me.”
Prof Kindiki said that when he and President William Ruto seek another term, they would present their record to Kenyans and allow voters to make their own decisions.
“When President William Ruto and I come next year to ask for a second term, give us an opportunity to explain what we have done and account for our time in office. After that, you can make your own decision because voting is your right,” he said.
He challenged opponents who have previously held senior Government positions to explain their own records in office.
He specifically urged them to discuss their development achievements before resorting to political labels such as “Kasongo” and “Soprano”.
The Deputy President also called for restraint among political leaders, saying political competition should not destroy relationships within communities.
“Politics comes and goes, but we will still remain one community,” he said.
Mwea MP Mary Maingi welcomed the Government’s development programme, saying residents had for years sought the construction of the Kangirici–Karira Hospital–Ngurubani road and Karira Bridge.
She said the ongoing works were addressing longstanding demands by residents for improved transport infrastructure.
Prof Kindiki said the Government had a large development agenda and would continue implementing projects rather than spending time in political exchanges.
“We have a lot of work to do,” he said. “The work that is supposed to be done in Kenya is big, and there is a lot of work to do.”
The Deputy President said infrastructure development, agricultural support, access to Government services and investment in digital opportunities remained central to the administration’s programme as it sought to improve livelihoods across the country.
