By Emily Kiende
President William Ruto has reiterated the government’s commitment to rolling out the electronic procurement system at the agricultural level.
The President said this will increase accountability with the public and curb corruption at grassroots level.
"We are not going back on E-procurement; we must ensure farmers get value for their money, "President Ruto said.The Head of State was speaking during the cheque handover ceremony to the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) at State House, Nairobi.
The President met over 400 KTDA representatives and disbursed over KSh 2.6 billion recovered funds owed to tea farmers across the country. The monies were deposits held by the Kenya Deposit Insurance Company under the defunct Chase and Imperial Banks.
This move reaffirms the government’s commitment to empowering farmers across the country. It also reinforces agriculture’s key role in the national development agenda.
The head of state reassured the government’s commitment to improving farmer earnings by exploring more export markets.
"We must push value addition. We should be selling more processed tea, coffee and agricultural products," he said.The president commended the removal of cartels in the agricultural supply chain. This move ensures fair competition among farmers at all levels and shared benefits in the sector.
He also highlighted the government’s deliberate steps to maintain a strong and stable economy. He said significant gains have been recorded over the past two years, with Kenya now being the 6th largest economy in Africa.
The Kenyan shilling has strengthened to KSh 130 against the dollar, down from KSh 165. He also noted inflation has dropped to 3.8%, down from 9.6% in 2022, and an increase in foreign exchange reserves.
In attendance were, Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development Mutahi Kagwe, KTDA chairman Chege Kirundi, other dignitaries and stakeholders from across the tea sector.
