Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has assured Kenyans that the government is moving quickly to protect the country's food supply and cushion farmers after below-average rainfall affected crop production in several key agricultural areas, saying authorities are already rolling out urgent measures to prevent food shortages and reduce farmers' losses.
Speaking on Friday after chairing a meeting of Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries at his official residence in Karen, Nairobi, Kindiki said the government was closely tracking the impact of the poor rains through weekly preparedness meetings while putting in place immediate interventions to support farmers and strengthen the country's food security.
He said the government was also preparing for the forecast El Niño rains expected later in the year to help farmers reduce losses and improve readiness for the changing weather conditions.
Kindiki said the administration was determined to ensure that no part of the country experiences hunger or famine because of the weather challenges, adding that protecting farmers and maintaining stable food supplies remained a top priority.
"I assure the country that the government is seized of the matter of what has happened this season and what is projected to happen later this year. We are taking all possible measures to prevent any part of Kenya or any citizen from suffering from lack of food, famine, and support farmers to make sure they don't get disrupted because of the unfavourable weather," he said.
The Deputy President said Friday's meeting reviewed the effects of reduced rainfall reported in different parts of the country, especially in major food-producing regions, while also assessing the country's level of preparedness for the expected October to December rains.
He said the government had agreed to hold weekly meetings to monitor the situation, review weather forecasts and coordinate interventions aimed at protecting food production.
"The government will go out of its way to make sure that this situation will not affect the food security of our country. We met this morning to look at some of the immediate interventions we need to make. We have agreed to continue meeting every week to make sure there is enough preparedness for any eventuality," Kindiki stressed.
Among the measures being considered is a plan to convert maize crops that failed to mature because of inadequate rainfall into animal feed so that farmers can still earn income instead of losing their entire investment.
"We are looking at modalities of using the crop that failed for making animal feed so that farmers can get some income from the crop even if it has not matured."
Kindiki said the government was also helping farmers prepare for the expected El Niño season by supporting farm preparation and ensuring they are ready for the anticipated heavy rains.
He said efforts were also focused on ensuring mature crops are harvested in good time, properly dried and safely stored before the rains begin to reduce post-harvest losses.
"We are also looking at assisting farmers to prepare for the coming El Niño rains projected later in the year. We are focused on farm inputs and farm preparation."
The Deputy President said government ministries would continue working together through regular review meetings to monitor the weather, assess the progress of interventions and strengthen the country's preparedness.
He said the government's goal was to protect farmers' livelihoods, sustain agricultural production and keep food supplies stable despite the changing weather patterns, adding that practical support would continue to be provided to farmers during the current and upcoming planting seasons.