The government has expanded the national farmer register from about 300,000 farmers to 7.2 million crop farmers and three million livestock keepers, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has said.
Kindiki said the expansion was part of government efforts to place agriculture at the centre of Kenya’s economic transformation and improve the delivery of services and support to farmers.
Speaking on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, during the official opening of the Agriculture and Food Security Transformation Summit at Jamhuri Park ASK Showground in Nairobi, Kindiki said the farmer database had undergone a major transformation over the past four years.
He said the expanded register provides a broader database of farmers involved in crop and livestock production across the country.
The Deputy President linked the development to wider reforms in the agriculture sector, which have included subsidised farm inputs, livestock vaccination, improved extension services and investments in value addition.
Kindiki said the government had reduced the price of a bag of fertiliser from KSh7,000 to KSh2,000 through subsidies.
The price of certified maize seed had also fallen by 50 per cent from KSh300 to KSh150 per kilogramme, while the cost of sexed semen for artificial insemination of dairy cows had dropped from KSh8,000 to KSh1,400 per dose.
He said the government was also implementing a nationwide livestock vaccination programme, with 8.9 million cattle already vaccinated.
The programme is targeting the country’s estimated 22 million cattle and 50 million small stock.
According to Kindiki, the interventions have contributed to increased production and incomes across various agricultural value chains.
He said milk production had risen from 4.6 billion litres to 5.2 billion litres, while the value of dairy products had increased from KSh4.9 billion to KSh8.9 billion.
Kenya is now the leading exporter of processed milk in Africa, Kindiki said, adding that the value of meat exports had also increased from KSh8.9 billion to KSh12.9 billion.
The government has also invested in agro-processing, with Kindiki saying 17 County Aggregation and Industrial Parks had been completed and were being equipped to begin operations.
He said extension services had been revamped and earnings from key agricultural products, including coffee, tea, milk, macadamia, pulses and avocado, had increased.
Kindiki further highlighted the role of technology and research in agriculture, saying the government was promoting smart agriculture and precision farming while supporting the development of new crop varieties, improved animal breeds and better farming technologies.
He said the farmer remained at the centre of the government’s agriculture transformation agenda as Kenya seeks to strengthen food security and increase agricultural productivity.
“At the Centre of this impressive transformation is the farmer: hard working, resilient and patriotic enough to know that their work is not just about livelihood, it is also about making our country self sufficient in matters food,” Kindiki said.