TAITA TAVETA, County—President William Ruto has announced plans to halve the price of maize seed from KSh300 to KSh150 from September 2026, as the government seeks to encourage farmers to increase food production during the expected short rains.
Speaking during a church service at AIC Makutano in Taita Taveta County, Ruto said the government would also subsidise fertiliser by KSh500 per bag, reducing the price from KSh2,500 to KSh2,000.
The President urged farmers to take advantage of the expected short rains and increase maize production, following crop losses reported during the previous season due to inadequate rainfall.
“We have decided as the government to reduce the price of maize seeds, and we have also injected public funds to subsidise fertiliser. So I call upon all farmers across the country to use the expected short rains to grow more food and stabilise Kenya’s food security,” Ruto said.
The proposed changes are expected to reduce the cost of key farm inputs for maize producers ahead of the next planting season, although the implementation details of the new seed pricing were not provided in the remarks.
Ruto also announced that KSh18 billion in school capitation had been disbursed ahead of schools reopening next Monday.
He criticised political opponents who he said were spreading claims that the funds had not been released, but did not provide further details on the distribution of the money.
On higher education, the President said a proposed new university and TVET funding model would allow qualified students to pursue courses of their choice, with the government meeting the cost of courses for which they qualify if Parliament passes the legislation.
“The government will pay for each course a learner qualifies to pursue without necessarily dropping the course because parents and guardians are unable to sponsor the student,” Ruto said.
The President also said the government had recruited 100,000 teachers over the past four years and would hire an additional 20,000 teachers by next year to address staffing gaps in schools.
