• Kenya will open over 607,000 hectares of farmland to private investors for large-scale agricultural projects.

• The plan aims to boost food security, cut food imports worth nearly $3 billion, and create jobs.

• A new Land Commercialization Office will facilitate investor access and approvals.

Kenya plans to make more than 607,000 hectares of farmland available to private investors to expand large-scale agriculture across the country, Agriculture and Livestock Development Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said on Wednesday.

He announced the initiative during the 5th National Agribusiness Summit, held in Nairobi from October 22–23, according to local outlet The Star. The government aims to attract private capital to strengthen agricultural productivity, which currently contributes 22.5% of GDP and employs about 32% of the workforce.

Kagwe said the targeted land includes plots managed by the Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC) and prison farms that are already prepared for commercial use.

To streamline investment processes, the Ministry of Agriculture has created a Land Commercialization Office to provide investors with information and facilitate authorization procedures.

“The counties of Homa Bay and Migori are already seeking investors for oil palm cultivation,” Kagwe said. “We have enough land in the country to achieve what we need.”

The investment projects will prioritize rice, wheat, oilseeds, and pyrethrum, key crops that Kenya wants to expand to meet domestic and export demand.

The government expects private participation to boost food security, generate employment, and reduce reliance on imported commodities. Kenya’s food import bill reached $3 billion between 2021 and 2023, according to a July report by the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) titled The State of Commodity Dependence 2025. The report highlighted wheat, sugar, rice, and maize as the country’s top imports.

Despite the available land, underdeveloped irrigation continues to hinder Kenya’s agricultural growth. FAO data show that the country cultivated 7 million hectares of farmland in 2022, but only 2.2% were equipped for irrigation.

This article was initially published in French by Stéphanas Assocle

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum