Kenya eyes 2m jobs in new Sh1.08 trillion agriculture blueprint

WANGARI NDIRANGU-KNA

The Government has launched the National Agri-food Systems Investment Plan (NASIP) 2026–2030.

The ambitious Sh1.081 trillion blueprint is expected to transform agriculture, strengthen food security, create more than two million jobs, and unlock private investment across Kenya’s agrifood sector.

Speaking during the opening of the 2026 Financing Agrifood Systems Sustainably (FINAS) Summit at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the plan signals a shift towards financing agriculture as a competitive and investable sector.

In a speech read on his behalf by Livestock Principal Secretary Jonathan Mueke, Kagwe said NASIP provides a fully costed investment framework covering crops, livestock, fisheries, irrigation, agro-industrialization, digital agriculture, climate resilience, research, innovation, and agricultural finance.

The CS said the Government and counties will finance 35 per cent of the plan, while the private sector is expected to contribute 45 per cent, with development partners providing the remaining 20 per cent.

“NASIP is not simply about financing agriculture. It is about financing Kenya’s future by building resilient food systems, modernizing agricultural value chains, creating jobs, increasing farmer incomes, and positioning Kenya as a regional hub for sustainable agri-food investment,” Kagwe said.

He said the investment plan builds on the recently launched AgriConnect Compact, which outlines Kenya’s commitments under the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Kampala Declaration.