The Kenyan government has officially gazetted the sprawling Galana Kulalu Food Security Project as a Special Economic Zone (SEZ), a landmark policy shift designed to finally unlock the agricultural potential of a project that has for years been a symbol of unfulfilled promise.

This declaration is the cornerstone of the country's largest-ever land commercialisation drive. It aims to transform the 1.8 million-acre tract spanning Kilifi and Tana River counties from a stalled, capital-intensive state enterprise into a vibrant hub for global agribusiness investors, ultimately seeking to lower food costs and create thousands of jobs for Kenyans.

From Stalled Dream to Investor Haven

The move signals a radical change in strategy for a project that began in 2014 but later stalled due to challenges including mismanagement and funding disputes. By designating it an SEZ, the government is rolling out the red carpet for private companies, offering a suite of powerful incentives to attract the capital and expertise needed for large-scale cultivation.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe emphasized that the new status would fast-track development and attract serious investment. “Kenya cannot afford idle land while we are importing food," Kagwe stated, confirming the government's intent to partner with private investors to unlock the full value of all underutilised public land.

Key benefits for investors in the newly minted zone will include:

• Significant tax breaks, including exemptions on VAT, customs and excise duties.
• Reduced corporate income tax rates for the first 20 years of operation.
• Simplified and faster regulatory approvals through a new one-stop office for the Land Commercialisation Initiative (LCI).
• Enhanced government support for critical infrastructure.

Putting Food on the Table

The primary goal of this revitalised project is to directly address Kenya's perennial food shortages, which have kept the price of staples like maize stubbornly high. President William Ruto, who has championed the project's revival under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, noted that the initiative is no longer a dream but a working plan to make Kenya food-secure. The project is expected to significantly reduce the country's reliance on maize imports, which costs the nation billions of shillings annually.

Under the new framework, private firms like Selu Africa and Al Dahra of the UAE have already been engaged to bring vast tracts under irrigation. The focus will be on cereals, edible oils, horticulture, and livestock feed, creating a diversified agro-industrial hub. Recent infrastructure upgrades, including a new KES 519.4 million (approx. $4 million USD) water intake system and reservoir, have already paved the way for initial cultivation, with over 3,000 jobs created so far.

A Cautious Optimism

While the SEZ declaration has been widely praised as a pragmatic solution, analysts remain cautiously optimistic, pointing to the project's troubled past. The success of this new chapter hinges on transparent governance and ensuring that the benefits, particularly jobs and lower food prices, are felt by ordinary Kenyans. The government has attempted to preemptively tackle bureaucratic hurdles by establishing a one-stop office that promises to process land acquisitions for investors within a month.

As Agriculture CS Mutahi Kagwe declared, “The era of idle land is over.” For millions of Kenyans, the hope is that this declaration will finally mark the era of affordable food and lasting agricultural prosperity.