The government would seize idle land owned by parastatals and lease it to private investors for commercial agriculture, boosting local food production and exports while also creating new jobs.
In order to improve food security and lower living costs, the Cabinet authorised the seizure of idle land.
Kenya is currently pursuing a strategy in which private investors would lease thousands of acres of public land for food and cash crop production that is less reliant on rain-fed agriculture and more reliant on irrigation.
Kenya Railways, Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, East African Portland Cement, Kenya Prisons, and the University of Nairobi are among the parastatals that own huge amounts of undeveloped land.
“The Policy on Large-Scale Commercialization of Public Land Held for Agricultural Production was approved by the Cabinet. According to a report from the Cabinet meeting, “the policy attempts to provide a framework for the use of idle land controlled by public institutions for large-scale commercial agricultural production.”
In 2015, the Galana/Kulalu Food Security Project was launched with the goal of irrigating more than 1.2 million acres of land owned by the Agricultural Development Corporation.
Kenya’s commercial agro-sector is currently focused on significant foreign exchange earners such as tea, coffee, fruits, vegetables, and flowers.
Kenya is now pursuing large-scale commercial production of food commodities such as maize, beans, and vegetables for local consumption.
