President William Ruto on Thursday officially opened the 122nd Mombasa ASK International Agricultural Show, pledging to sustain his administration’s commitment to transforming Kenya’s agriculture through increased productivity, affordable inputs, and stronger partnerships with counties and the private sector.
Speaking at the Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK) showground in Mkomani, Ruto said agriculture remains the “central pillar” of Kenya’s economy, employing more than four in every 10 Kenyans and supporting seven in 10 rural families.
“We are leaving no region, no community, and no household behind in the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda. Agriculture was rightly and explicitly identified as a central pillar,” said the President.
The President highlighted the success of the government’s fertilizer subsidy programme, which has cut fertilizer prices by nearly two-thirds and distributed more than 21 million bags to farmers. The initiative, he said, has saved farmers sh.105 billion and pushed maize production from 44 million bags in 2022 to 67 million in 2024.
“In the 2025 long-rains season alone, farmers received nearly 7 million bags of fertilizer and 35 million kilos of certified seeds. Kenya now anticipates a record harvest of 70 million bags of maize this year,” said President Ruto.
Ruto added that tea production has grown by 12% while earnings in the sector jumped 40%. He promised even greater support in 2026, with plans to distribute 12.5 million bags of fertilizer across all 1,450 wards.
“Our national food situation has stabilized, and for the first time in many years Kenyans can see a clear difference at the markets and in their homes,” he said, citing the fall in maize flour prices from sh.250 in 2022 to sh.130 this year.
Looking ahead, the President said the government is working with the private sector to roll out large-scale irrigation projects in Galana-Kulalu, Bura, and the Tana Delta to boost maize, rice, sugar, cotton, and other cash crops.
“We made the tough but correct choice to subsidize production rather than consumption. The results are visible: stronger food security, higher farmer incomes, and renewed investor confidence,” Ruto said.
Meanwhile, Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Sheriff Nassir used the occasion to call for the transformation of the ASK grounds into a modern, state-of-the-art exhibition center.
“This location is central, accessible from Moi International Airport, and surrounded by world-class hotels. With enough land, we can establish a proper Mombasa Exhibition Center that will serve generations to come,” said the Governor.
He lauded ongoing collaboration between county and national governments, highlighting joint housing programmes, plans to regularize more than 300 casual health workers at Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital, and a new arrangement with the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) to streamline county revenue collection from lorries and ease congestion at port gates.
“This is the benefit of us working together. When the national and county governments cooperate, the people of Mombasa and Kenya at large reap the rewards,” said Governor Nassir.
The Mombasa International Agricultural Show brings together farmers, agribusinesses, innovators, and policymakers to showcase opportunities and solutions in agriculture and allied sectors.
