Kenya has signalled readiness to increase maize imports from Uganda as the two countries seek to deepen agricultural trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), but Nairobi has stressed that expanded cross-border commerce must be matched by stronger food safety controls and investment in agriculture.
Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development Sen. Mutahi Kagwe said Uganda is well placed to supply part of Kenya’s maize requirements, but urged the country to improve post-harvest handling, particularly the drying of maize and control of aflatoxin contamination.
Speaking during a luncheon meeting with Uganda’s Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture, Kagwe said addressing quality concerns at the source would create opportunities for Ugandan farmers while ensuring Kenyan consumers receive safe food.
“We need a system in Uganda where maize is dried before it crosses the border,” Kagwe said. “We can buy, but we need aflatoxin-free maize.”
Kagwe said concerns over moisture and aflatoxin levels have made some Kenyan millers reluctant to purchase maize from Uganda, limiting opportunities for farmers on the other side of the border. He said improving drying and grain-handling systems would help remove one of the key obstacles to increased trade.
Kenya, he added, would continue enforcing food safety and quality standards for agricultural products entering the country, even as it works with neighbouring states to expand regional commerce.
The CS placed the maize trade debate within the broader AfCFTA agenda, saying African countries should address practical barriers that prevent farmers from accessing markets rather than allowing tariff and non-tariff obstacles to undermine regional trade.
“We have to ease off these small tariff and non-tariff barriers. We have to look for ways in agriculture where it is a win-win situation,” Kagwe said.
He argued that African countries have different agricultural strengths that can be used to complement one another, with countries able to supply commodities that are in demand in neighbouring markets.
The Ugandan Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture echoed the call for increased intra-African trade, noting that African countries continue to trade less among themselves despite the establishment of AfCFTA.
The delegation called for harmonisation of agricultural and trade protocols, including within the East African Community, to facilitate the movement of produce while maintaining appropriate safety and quality requirements.
The legislators also highlighted climate change, water for production, pest and disease control, energy, cold storage, extension services, weak markets, value addition and agribusiness as areas requiring greater investment and regional cooperation.
Agricultural financing emerged as another shared concern, with the Ugandan delegation saying the sector receives about 2.2 per cent of Uganda’s national budget despite its central role in food security, employment and rural livelihoods.
Kenya’s National Assembly Agriculture and Livestock Committee Chairperson Dr. John Mutunga said Nairobi also needs to increase investment in agriculture if the sector is to become a stronger source of employment.
“If we fund education at 24.7%, we are putting more resources to create demand for jobs. If we fund agriculture at less than 5%, we are constraining the sector that would create those jobs,” Mutunga said.
He said countries that successfully transformed their economies deliberately invested in agriculture before developing agro-processing, value addition and industries that generated employment.
“Africa has the ability to feed itself, and we have a huge responsibility,” Mutunga said.
Mutunga cited Kenya’s fertiliser and seed subsidy programmes, soil-health interventions and expansion of last-mile distribution as efforts aimed at increasing agricultural productivity.
He also said farmer registration had expanded from about 250,000 to more than 7.2 million, providing the Government with a stronger platform for targeting agricultural interventions.
Beyond crop production, Kagwe invited Uganda to consider adopting Kenya’s Animal Identification and Traceability (ANITRAC) technology, which targets about 77 million livestock and is intended to strengthen animal identification, traceability and efforts to combat cattle rustling.
“The safety of the animal is the main purpose,” Kagwe said, adding that stronger identification systems make it harder for stolen livestock to enter legitimate markets.
The discussions ultimately pointed to a shared objective between Kenya and Uganda—to turn regional trade agreements into practical market opportunities for farmers while increasing investment, promoting value addition and protecting consumers through stronger food safety standards.
