The national government and county administrations have agreed to urgently reprogramme World Bank–funded agricultural projects to respond to Kenya’s deepening drought while building long-term resilience.
Speaking after a high-level meeting in Malindi with the Council of Governors’ Kenya Agriculture Committee and the ASAL Governors Caucus, Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the intervention will adopt a whole-of-government approach, integrating crops, livestock and livelihoods as a single system.
Talks centred on the Food Systems Resilience Program (FSRP), which covers 13 of the worst-affected counties, and the National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP), implemented across the remaining 34 counties.
Funding under both programmes will be redirected towards immediate drought response measures, including fodder transportation, water supply, and livestock protection, with some planned activities temporarily suspended.
Leaders agreed that at least 85 per cent of resources will be channelled directly to on-the-ground interventions, with counties taking a leading role in planning and implementation.
Beyond the emergency response, the strategy places strong emphasis on expanding irrigation, building fodder reserves, strengthening disease control, rolling out digital agriculture systems, and promoting youth participation.
The aim is to reduce dependence on rain-fed farming and better prepare the sector for future climate shocks.
