The numbers are in, and they paint a grim picture for the Kenyan farmer. The Institute of Public Finance (IPF), a leading economic think tank, has sounded a code-red alarm over the government’s slashing of the agricultural budget, warning that the Sh17.3 billion cut is not just a fiscal adjustment—it is a potential death sentence for food security.

In a scathing report released this Thursday, the IPF revealed that the national allocation for agriculture has plummeted from Sh94.2 billion in the previous financial year to just Sh76.9 billion for 2024/25. This 18.3% drop comes at a time when the sector is supposedly the "backbone" of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).

The Disconnect: Rhetoric vs. Reality

"Public spending on agriculture has failed to mirror the government's policy commitment," the report states bluntly. While politicians wax lyrical about empowering the hustler farmer, the treasury is tightening the purse strings on the very inputs that drive production: irrigation, extension services, and mechanization.

• The Tea Paradox: The sector actually performed well last year, with tea production jumping 17% to 321 million kgs. The IPF argues this success is now being jeopardized by short-termism.
• The Hunger Gap: With erratic rainfall patterns becoming the norm, the cut to irrigation projects like the Thiba Dam expansion is particularly reckless.

A Nation That Cannot Feed Itself?

The implications for the mwananchi are immediate. Less funding means fewer subsidized fertilizers, stalling the momentum gained in the last two years. It means the dream of rice self-sufficiency remains just that—a dream. As the cost of unga threatens to rise again, the government must decide: is agriculture a priority for investment, or just a convenient piggy bank to raid when the fiscal deficit bites?

The IPF’s warning is clear: you cannot harvest what you do not plant. And right now, the government is planting austerity where it should be planting seeds.