It’s official, 4K Clubs are back in public schools across Kenya. I was in Nyeri this past weekend when Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe launched the revived clubs at Kihate Primary School, and there was a real sense of nostalgia and excitement in the air.
The government is rolling out the programme in all 31,218 public primary schools across the country. The aim? To get kids back into farming, not just in theory but through practical, hands-on learning that could inspire future agripreneurs.
Kagwe said the clubs are about more than just growing vegetables. “We’re planting seeds of entrepreneurship, responsibility, and food security,” he told the crowd. “4K Clubs should be innovation hubs.”
Already, 1,222 trainers have been deployed in 36 counties to guide the programme. And in a major boost, 245 schools have received greenhouses, irrigation kits, and incubators everything students need to get their hands dirty and learn real farming skills.
If you were in school in the ’80s or ’90s, chances are you were in a 4K Club. The name stands for Kuungana, Kufanya, Kusaidia Kenya; To Unite, To Act, To Help Kenya. The clubs were a big part of school life back then, teaching kids to grow crops, raise animals, and learn responsibility.
The relaunch is also a call to action. Kagwe urged Kenyans to revisit the schools they went to and support the new generation. “Let’s go back and give back,” he said.
In a time when many young people are turning away from agriculture, this feels like a fresh start. And who knows? Maybe the next big agricultural breakthrough will come from one of these school gardens.
