Kenya’s second budget under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic has prioritised a stimulus for economic recovery and the implementation of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s legacy projects. In the president’s last full financial year, the emphasis is clearly on finalising ongoing investments and creating a suitable environment for economic recovery to safeguard livelihoods. The agriculture sector, which has received a slightly bigger share of the budget, remains vital to the country’s economic recovery strategy. The sector contributes 34% to gross domestic product. It has also recorded a relatively stronger performance than other sectors of the economy that have been adversely affected by the pandemic. However, challenges exist within the sector that call for increased investments by both the public and private sectors. In 2020, widespread flooding damaged cropland and increased post-harvest losses. Also, desert locust infestations in arid and semi-arid areas destroyed about 175,000 hectares of crop and pastureland. This affected the livelihoods of nearly 164,000 households.
SOURCE: THE CONVERSATION