President William Ruto has announced new subsidies on maize seed and fertiliser as his administration moves to lower farming costs ahead of the expected October rains.
The price of a 50-kilogramme bag of subsidised fertiliser will fall from KSh2,500 to KSh2,000, while maize seed prices will be cut by 50 per cent from next month.
Ruto said the measures are aimed at giving farmers an opportunity to recover from poor crop performance during the May-August rainy season and take advantage of the next planting window.
“We are going to subsidise maize seed by 50 per cent and reduce the cost of fertiliser by another KSh500 so that we can encourage our farmers to use the rain that is coming to grow more food,” he said.
The President made the announcement during a Sunday service at AIC Makutano in Taveta, Taita-Taveta County, where he outlined a series of government interventions targeting agriculture, education, land, health and infrastructure.
He said the failure of the long rains in key agricultural regions, including the North Rift, had resulted in significant crop losses, increasing the need to support farmers before the next season.
The latest reduction comes as the government continues to rely on subsidised farm inputs as part of its efforts to increase food production and reduce the cost of farming.
Ruto also announced the release of KSh18 billion in third-term capitation funds to schools, saying the money would help ensure learning continues without disruptions.
He rejected claims that schools were struggling because of delayed government funding, insisting that capitation had been released before schools reopened since January.
The President further said proposed changes to tertiary education funding would make access to university education less dependent on a student’s family income.
“Our learners will no longer be judged by the ability of their parents to pay for university, but according to their ability to study whatever courses they qualify for,” Ruto said.
Beyond education, Ruto announced plans to issue 500,000 title deeds to residents in the coastal region, including 45,000 in Taita-Taveta.
He said surveying was already underway and that he would return to the county in September to oversee the issuance of the documents.
The government is also investing KSh17 billion in Affordable Housing Programme projects in Taita-Taveta, which Ruto said would provide employment opportunities for thousands of young people.
He pledged that major road projects in the county would be completed, citing the Ilasit-Rombo-Njukini-Taveta, Cess-Rekeke-Lake Jipe and Mto Mwagodi-Dawida-Mbale-Wundanyi-Bura Junction roads, among others.
On healthcare, the President said 245,000 residents of Taita-Taveta had registered with the Social Health Authority, representing about 73 per cent of the county’s population.
He also said health facilities in the county had received KSh950 million over the past 18 months for services provided to residents.
The fresh subsidy announcement puts the cost of farm inputs at the centre of the government’s preparations for the next planting season, with farmers expected to benefit from lower fertiliser and seed prices as the country seeks to strengthen food production.
