Government launches fertiliser drive as 3.3 million face hunger

Stacks of maize at the Eldoret National Cereals and Produce Board depot. [File, Standard]

The Government has flagged off the 2026 Long Rains National Fertiliser Subsidy Programme, aiming to support farmers during the planting season as drought pushes millions into acute food insecurity.

Principal Secretary for Agriculture Dr. Paul Kiprono Rono said the fertiliser will be transported to National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) depots using the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to ensure timely distribution.

Farmers will collect inputs from depots across the country, including Thika, Sagana, Karatina, Kiganjo, Nanyuki, Naivasha, Nakuru, Elburgon, Kipkelion, Butere, Kipkarren River, Yala, Turbo, Webuye, Bungoma, and Malaba.

Intermodal links between the SGR and the Metre Gauge Railway at facilities such as Mai Mahiu Station and the Naivasha Inland Container Depot will ease movement and storage.

The move comes as the Government warns that current food relief stocks will last only two to three weeks.

Mandera, Wajir, Kwale, and Kilifi counties remain in the Alarm phase, while 12 others are in the Alert phase, most showing worsening trends.

Acute malnutrition now affects more than 810,000 children and 104,000 pregnant and lactating women.

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, who chaired a high-level Cabinet meeting in Nairobi, said the State has mobilised resources to support affected communities.

“Many counties need food for the people and livestock feed. We are tirelessly working on effective last-mile delivery of food so it does not take long to reach the people. We are also trucking water to the people and livestock,” he noted.

The Cabinet authorised Sh4.1 billion on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, to scale up drought relief, supplementing allocations made in December 2025 and January 2026.