Kenya's food import bill jumped by 20.6% in the first half of 2026, reaching Sh169.02 billion—just shy of the all-time record set during the 2023 drought crisis—as severe crop failures devastated the country's agricultural heartland. The North Rift "breadbasket" counties, including Uasin Gishu, Trans Nzoia, and Nandi, bore the brunt of the drought, with maize production expected to drop by 40% to over 60% in some areas, leaving farmers with withered, grainless crops after investing heavily in planting. This domestic shortfall has created a national maize deficit of approximately 25 million 90kg bags, forcing the government to plan large-scale imports to stabilize prices and avert a deeper food crisis. In response, authorities have slashed fertilizer and seed prices to encourage recovery, while acknowledging that Kenya must urgently shift from rain-dependent farming to irrigation to build resilience against climate change. Meanwhile, an estimated 3.5 million Kenyans now require humanitarian food assistance, underscoring the growing toll of the country's recurring food insecurity (ICE NAIROBI)

Fonte notizia: Business Daily