This archive report was first published on 26 June 2020.
On June 26, 2020, the Kenyan government initiated a kitchen garden program to address the impending food crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The program aims to benefit one million vulnerable households across the country, providing them with starter kits and resources to grow nutritious food.
According to Ann Nyaga, the Chief Administrative Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives, the kitchen gardens will help improve diets by ensuring the availability of vegetables, fruits, and herbs at the household level.
The starter kits will include seeds, shade nets, and water tanks, and each kit will cost Sh1,350, translating to Sh1.35 billion for the one million households.
Households with surplus production will be facilitated with solar dryers to prolong the shelf life of perishable foods and enable them to maintain social distancing by reducing the frequency of market visits.
The program will also focus on empowering the youth by providing them with kitchen garden kits to raise seedlings for sale and supporting them with drying tools and training.
Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana expressed support for the program, noting that it is a timely initiative that emphasizes nutrition and will boost immunity for people with underlying diseases like diabetes.
