By Kimuri Mwangi
The nomination of Dr. Andrew Mwihia Karanja (PhD) for the position of Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development by President William Ruto has been endorsed by several organizations in the agriculture sector.
The Kenya Livestock Producers Association (KLPA) says it welcomes the nomination of Dr Karanja saying that it has noted that Dr. Karanja started his career at the junior rank of an extension officer in the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development and rose to the position of planning officer in the same ministry.
“Public service has its nuances, and some Cabinet Secretaries have in the past found it hard to discharge their mandate due to lack of knowledge on how the public service operates. Dr. Karanja, having worked his way up the ranks of the public service will be well equipped to seamlessly navigate around the bureaucracy and harness the expertise within the ministry. We have also noted that Dr. Karanja has consulted widely for development partners such as the World Bank, African Development Bank, USAID and the European Union (EU). Such development partners play a big role in supporting the growth of Agriculture and Livestock value chains in the country. We hope that he will tap into the networks he has created over the years working for such partners for the benefit of our nation,” says KLPA in a statement by the CEO Patrick Kimani.
The organization urged the nominee once approved to assist stallholder farmers to access to quality affordable farm inputs, ensure there is provision of quality advisory services, assist farmers to access affordable credit, assist in establishing market linkages for farmers and set more resources aside for Climate–Smart agriculture initiatives.
“We have no doubt that he possesses the knowledge and expertise to turn around the fortunes of farmers in this country. As he prepares to face the members of the National Assembly, we wish him all the best and assure him of our unequivocal support should he be successfully vetted and approved by the National Assembly,” says KLPA
The Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services-Kenya (KeFAAS), a network organization affiliated to the African forum which brings together all actors in the agricultural Sector from academia, public and private extension service providers, local and international NGOs, agricultural investment projects and programmes has also endorsed Dr Karanja.
“As actors/service providers, we interact with the broad agricultural sector issues continuously hence are cognizant of the challenges bedeviling the sector which require urgent focus and attention. Dr Karanja is a well-known agricultural professional and has the requisite experience, knowledge and mindset to address the challenges facing the sector and commence the journey to unlock the sector potential,” says KeFAAS
KeFAAS names some challenges facing the sector as the lack of access to quality and affordable inputs for crop and livestock enterprises such as seed, fertilizers, animal feeds pest control and large scale/small scale agricultural mechanization among others. The facilitation of both the public and private sector extension service providers to deliver responsive and quality extension services has also been cited as a challenge and therefore KeFAAS calls for the professionalization, registration and regulation of extension services to ensure efficient provision of extension to the last mile for all clients. The organization also says there is need to address low and declining earnings/productivity in the traditional and emerging agricultural export commodities.
“The Forum for Agricultural Advisory Services-Kenya (KeFAAS) therefore welcomes the nomination of Andrew Mwihia Karanja (PhD) for the position of the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development. Previously he has worked for the Coffee Research Fund (CRF) and was later appointed to the Coffee Reform Task force from 2016 to 2022. His extensive experience in the agricultural sector places him in a vantage position to transform the sector. He has worked with other key areas such as the Ministry of Agriculture and the research fraternity and we feel he is well grounded and fully prepared for the immense task ahead. We fully and unequivocally endorse his nomination,” adds KeFAAS.
