Waweru Kuria

“Kenya’s agriculture and food sector can thrive — but only if devolution works as intended.” Excited to share that my article “Harnessing Devolution to Transform Kenya’s Agriculture” written in the context of the just concluded #DevolutionConference was published by The Standard yesterday! In the opinion piece, I argue that for devolution to truly deliver, counties must strengthen coordination, remove trade barriers like prohibitive CESS fees on agricultural produce and inputs, and embrace climate-smart, inclusive approaches that empower farmers, pastoralists, and fisherfolk. Counties can, and should take decisive steps to make agriculture and food systems transformation possible. 👉 Read the full article here: [https://lnkd.in/dcRichQh] #Devolution #Agriculture #FoodSystems #Kenya #TMG #FoodSystemsTransformation TMG Think Tank for Sustainability, GIZ Kenya, Dr. Sophia Baumert, Jeffrey Ngari, Sharon Vera.

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📉 UNDERUTILIZED & OVERBUILT: Time to Rethink How We Invest in Food Processing As a food systems thinker, observer, and practitioner, I closely track developments in Kenya’s food processing space. Having spent a significant portion of my career working directly in food processing, I’ve gained a practical understanding of both its potential and persistent bottlenecks. Up-to-date data is hard to find, but what’s available shows a sobering trend: we have installed significant processing capacity—but most of it remains idle or severely underutilized. Just a few examples: 🥭 Mango: Utilization of processing capacity is estimated at 3–8%. 🍚 Rice: Small-scale mills average just 24% utilization. 🥛 Dairy: Most milk processors run at only 40% capacity. Yet despite this, we continue to see a strong push—by both public and private actors—to build more processing plants. In my discussions with potential investors over the years, I’ve found that many are excited to finance buildings, machinery, and cold rooms—but few are willing to support primary production. And yet, deep down, I know this truth: those shiny new plants won’t work—or won’t generate the desired returns—because they’ll struggle to get raw materials. I’ll never forget something a former boss once told me: “This business is not about shiny modern factories and machinery. It’s about raw materials availability consistently.” He was absolutely right. Too many government-led projects have become unutilized white elephants. And while I won’t name names, we all know such factories that dot the countryside—built with good intentions but now gathering dust. ✅ Food processing can only thrive when there’s a reliable surplus of raw materials. ❌ Kenya’s food value chains, in most cases, don’t have that surplus except in glut periods which leaves processors idle for most of the year. What we need now is not more steel and concrete—but: -Organized, reliable production zones -Market-linked farmer supply chains -Better synchronization between cropping calendars and processor needs Before we build more processing plants, let’s build a stronger supply base. That’s the real foundation of a successful food processing industry. At PEMU AGRISERVICES, we are keen to work with food processors to develop robust supply chains and improve their utilization capacity. Reach out to us—let’s build stronger, smarter food systems together. #FoodProcessing #Agroprocessing #KenyaAgriculture #AgriInvestments #ValueAddition #FoodSystems #MangoProcessing #DairySector #RiceMilling #FarmToFactory #ManufacturingKenya #RawMaterialSupply #WhiteElephants #SustainableAgriculture #PEMUAGRISERVICES

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