Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has delivered a stark ultimatum to Parliament: double the funding for farming or prepare for a national food security catastrophe.

In a candid appearance before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Agriculture, CS Kagwe painted a grim picture of a sector on the brink of collapse due to chronic underfunding.He is pushing for a radical increase in the ministry's budget allocation to at least 5 percent of the national budget—approximately Ksh 140 billion. His message was a sobering reality check for a country that prides itself on being an agricultural powerhouse yet allocates a paltry 2.7 percent of its resources to the very sector that feeds its people and drives its economy.

The Math of Starvation

Kagwe’s presentation was an indictment of current planning priorities. He highlighted that the current allocation of Ksh 75.49 billion is woefully insufficient to modernize a sector that employs 40 percent of the labor force and contributes 22.5 percent to the GDP. The disparity between the sector's economic contribution and its budgetary support is a structural flaw that leaves Kenya vulnerable to climate shocks and global supply chain disruptions.

"We cannot continue using the same agricultural practices that fed 35 million Kenyans to feed over 53 million today," Kagwe argued, emphasizing that the population boom has outpaced agricultural productivity. "This is not just about farming; it is about national survival."

• The 10% Dream: While Kagwe is pushing for 5% now, he reminded MPs of the Maputo Declaration, where African nations pledged 10% of their budgets to agriculture—a target Kenya consistently misses.
• Development vs. Recurrent: A significant chunk of the current funds is consumed by recurrent expenditure, leaving little for development projects like irrigation, fertilizer subsidies, and mechanization.
• Import Dependency: The CS warned that without this investment, Kenya will remain a net importer of food, hemorrhaging foreign exchange to buy what it should be growing.

A Race Against Time

The urgency in Kagwe’s plea stems from the looming threat of climate change. With erratic rainfall patterns and degrading soil health, the era of rain-fed agriculture is ending. The requested funds are critical for shifting the country toward resilient, technology-driven farming systems.

As the Budget Policy Statement for 2026 is finalized, the ball is now in Parliament’s court. The choice they face is stark: invest in the farms today or pay the price in food relief and social instability tomorrow. Kagwe has sounded the alarm; it remains to be seen if the legislature will wake up.