By ALEXANDER G. OWINO
Is achieving food security for all Kenyans a mirage? Is it really a priority for policymakers, beyond its inclusion in the much hyped Big Four Agenda?
Kenya’s food security seems to be worsening by the day. In April, the National Drought Management Authority classified the food security situation in 10 counties as “critical”. This could turn into a full-blown national emergency. The prices of Kenya’s staple foods are rising sharply, limiting affordability. Delays in the onset of long rains and forecasts of below-average rainfall will reduce food situation as well as lower food output and yields.
Why do these issues matter? The nation’s precarious food security deserves to be the national government’s top budget priority.
Budget allocations to agriculture and food security in the next financial year are a paltry 3.2 percent of National Government revenues. This is grossly inadequate for a priority sector that is also a pillar in the Big 4 Agenda.
Spending on food security is trending downwards, and has fallen from 3.5 percent of revenues in 2016/2017. Growth in total voted expenditure is also outpacing growth in spending on agriculture and food…Read more>>
