CSs Mugaa and Kagwi Chair Meeting on Land Commercialisation and Import Substitution

Today, the Cabinet Secretary for Water, Sanitation and Irrigation, Eng. Eric Mugaa, alongside his Agriculture counterpart, Hon. Mutahi Kagwi, co-chaired a high-level meeting focusing on land commercialisation and import substitution, with special emphasis on rice, maize, edible oils, and animal feeds.

The meeting was attended by Principal Secretaries CPA Ephantus Kimotho, CBS (Irrigation) and Dr. Paul Rono (Agriculture), as well as key project stakeholders, including officers from the State Department for Irrigation, State Department for Agriculture, National Irrigation Authority (NIA) led by CEO Eng. Charles Muasya, MBS, and representatives from the Office of the Attorney General, among others.

CS Eng. Mugaa urged all stakeholders in the agriculture sector to adopt a results-oriented approach, emphasizing solutions over excuses.
“The time has come for Kenya to think and do things differently. No room for further delays. Let’s be proactive, pull in the same direction, and facilitate processes rather than hinder them,” he stated.

CS Mutahi echoed these sentiments, underscoring the importance of food security, import substitution, and economic savings from reduced imports. He encouraged stakeholders to open their minds to new ideas and approaches that drive tangible results through the land commercialisation initiative, noting that investors are ready to invest.

The meeting proposed the establishment of a One-Stop Land Commercialisation Office bringing together key agencies from the Irrigation, Agriculture, Lands, and Prisons/Correctional Services sectors to streamline and fast-track processes for land leasing and agricultural investments, particularly in irrigated rice and livestock production.

Stakeholders were tasked to analyze existing projects to identify those with strong commercial viability and explore innovative funding mechanisms, given the current fiscal constraints facing the Exchequer.

The CSs also called for reduced bureaucracy, increased inter-agency collaboration, and diversification into strategic sectors such as sugar, pyrethrum, and livestock to expand Kenya’s agricultural commercialisation agenda.