By Walter Langat
Kenyans are staring at a serious food security challenge as the country faces a massive maize deficit – its staple food – following a biting drought that has affected key maize-producing regions. According to Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, Kenya faces a shortfall of 25 million 90-kilogram bags of maize, equivalent to about a third of the country’s annual maize consumption.
Trans Nzoia County, widely regarded as Kenya’s food basket, is among the hardest-hit regions, with thousands of farmers counting losses running into billions of shillings following widespread maize crop failure. The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development estimates that about 50,000 acres of maize have been lost to drought in Trans Nzoia.
A recent media visit organized by ISAAA AfriCenter, through the Africa Science Dialogue, revealed the gravity of the situation, with farmers combing through their fields to salvage the little maize that may have withstood the drought.
Francis Waithaka, a seasoned maize farmer at Kereita Farm in Trans Nzoia, is in despair as he recounts how drought has wiped out much of his expected harvest.
“This has been a difficult year for me and the rest of my fellow farmers. I usually harvest 34 to 36 bags of maize per acre, but I have only managed six to eight bags per acre this year due to drought,” he recounted.
Waithaka, who cultivated 30 acres of maize, is worried that he may not be able to cultivate as much land in the coming season unless he receives support.
Another farmer, John Kamau, stares at tiny harvested maize ears scattered across his farm. Kamau says that in all his years of farming, he has never witnessed maize crop failure in Trans Nzoia on the scale experienced this year.
“The drought began at a time when the maize crop needed water the most – when it had already formed the ear and needed moisture for grain development. But because there was no rain, growth was stunted,” he said.
For Everlyne Khasoha, a young farmer, maize failure in Trans Nzoia means her family could experience food insecurity in the coming season – a situation she says she has never faced in her lifetime.
“I only harvested half a bag from my small farm here. Maize farming has been my sole livelihood. I do not have money to purchase food. I fear our children will go hungry,” she lamented.
Beyond threatening household food security, the drought-induced maize shortage is also sending shockwaves through the livestock sector by worsening an already severe shortage of animal feed raw materials. Maize is one of the principal ingredients used in the manufacture of animal feed.
For the past 20 years, John Kimani has been running a thriving dairy enterprise in Kiminini, Trans Nzoia, supplying milk to major hotels in Kitale Town. Income from milk sales has enabled him to educate his children, acquire assets and steadily expand his enterprise.
But things are no longer the same. Harsh climatic conditions have reduced maize production, constraining the availability of key ingredients used in animal feed and increasing feeding costs for livestock farmers.
“I now milk between 400 and 600 litres per day, down from more than 700 litres a day a year ago. Milk production keeps declining because raw materials for feed are becoming scarce, while the cost of those that are available continues to rise,” he said.
Feed millers are warning that reduced maize availability could further drive up the cost of animal feeds. Through their umbrella body, the Association of Kenya Feed Manufacturers (AKEFEMA), the millers say persistent shortages of key raw materials have already pushed commercial feed prices up by approximately 30 percent, increasing production costs and threatening the sustainability of poultry, dairy, pig and beef enterprises.
“Kenya’s feed and fodder requirement stands at 55 million metric tons. We are only able to meet about 40 percent of this requirement. We have to get alternative raw materials to bridge this deficit and bring down the cost of animal feeds,” said Dr. Gakuo Mwangi of AKEFEMA.
Experts are calling for the adoption of climate-resilient biotech maize as a sustainable option for addressing the country’s food security challenges in the face of climate change. Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), working with other partners, has developed Bt maize, a biotech maize variety resistant to stem borer and fall armyworm – two of the most destructive insect pests affecting maize production.
“Biotech maize has been utilized in other countries for many years. Countries such as South Africa and Nigeria have had a long history of biotech crops, and we have not heard of any safety issues,” said Dr. Martin Mwirigi, the head of the Biotechnology Research Institute at KALRO.
However, Bt maize is yet to get to farmers’ hands owing to ongoing court petitions challenging the Government’s decision to lift the ban on cultivation and importation of GM crops and foods. One of the petitions challenges the approval, cultivation and commercialization of Bt maize in the country.
Delaying the rollout of Bt maize in Kenya has cost the country billions of shillings. Estimates indicate that delaying its commercialization has cost Kenyan farmers and consumers more than KSh8.7 billion (about USD67 million). Had Bt maize been commercialized without delay, it is estimated that it could have added about 194,000 tons of maize to the national production in 2024 alone and earned the economy an additional KSh28.2 billion (about USD218 million) by 2029.