NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 14 – Agriculture Cabinet Secretary nominee Mutahi Kagwe has emphasized the need to centralize the agriculture sector to maximize farmers’ profits and attract the younger generation to invest in it.
Appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Appointments, Kagwe highlighted the sector’s declining fortunes, coupled with outdated operational methods, as key factors discouraging youth from embracing agriculture.
“Agriculture, for the youth, must be exciting. As it stands, it’s too ordinary and boring. Youth will not engage in the sector the way it is structured today. It needs to be something more exciting, involving technology and new ways of doing things,” Kagwe stated.
Responding to a question from National Assembly Deputy Speaker Gladys Shollei, who noted that the younger generation has avoided the agriculture sector despite it being touted as the backbone of the economy, Kagwe pointed out that profitability is the main incentive.
“The youth will only venture into agriculture if it becomes profitable. To achieve this, we must take the necessary steps to make agriculture responsive to profit-making,” he said.
The Agriculture nominee told the committee, chaired by National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula, that employing advanced technology, including artificial intelligence (AI) and fintech, would transform the sector and incentivize key players.
“The future of agriculture lies in technology. AI, for example, will play a crucial role in the sector’s future. The question is whether we are adequately educating our future farmers to deal with these advancements,” said Kagwe.
The former Health Cabinet Secretary emphasized the urgency of involving youth in agricultural extension services as part of capacity-building efforts to make the sector attractive to younger generations.
Kagwe also outlined plans to streamline access to land, a critical agricultural asset, by leasing government land and fostering public-private partnerships.
“Many young people don’t have access to land. We need to think broadly about how to make land available. There is a lot of idle land owned by organizations like the Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC) and private sector entities that can be utilized,” he asserted.
