Bilateral engagements ahead of the biennial Government-to-Government (G2G) Consultations.

Principal Secretary, State Department for Irrigation, CPA Ephantus Kimotho, CBS, this morning hosted a German delegation led by Mr. Yannic Kiewitt, the Country Officer for Kenya at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The meeting formed part of the ongoing bilateral engagements ahead of the biennial Government-to-Government (G2G) Consultations. These consultations provide a strategic platform for aligning Kenya–Germany development cooperation, particularly around emerging priorities in irrigation, climate resilience, and sustainable agricultural transformation.

During the preparatory session, both sides reviewed the thematic areas expected to feature in the main negotiation phase scheduled for Summer 2026. Key discussions centered on the advancement of the Smallholder Irrigation Programme, which has demonstrated significant success in the Mount Kenya Region. The programme—co-financed by the Government of Kenya and the German Development Cooperation through KfW is now being considered for expansion to Western Kenya following its strong initial performance.

The meeting also took stock of ongoing work under the Drought Resilience Programme in Northern Kenya Phase II, which proposes to support at least five additional ASAL counties: Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, Isiolo, and Tana River. The expansion aims to mitigate recurring drought cycles and strengthen long term community resilience.

Another major agenda item was the proposed Irrigation De-risking Fund, a catalytic mechanism intended to replicate and scale the cost-sharing financing model successfully applied in the Mount Kenya programme. The fund is envisioned to unlock more irrigation investments nationwide by attracting private sector participation while reducing financial risks for farmers.

PS Kimotho highlighted the growing interest from private sector investors—particularly in agro-processing—who are keen to expand operations when assured of consistent and reliable agricultural production. He emphasized the importance of integrating market access solutions through collaboration with the Ministry of Trade and leveraging County Aggregation and Industrial Parks (CAIPs) to strengthen value addition. He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the President’s directive of putting one million acres under irrigation, noting that smallholder farmers remain central to achieving this ambition.

Mr. Yannic Kiewitt commended the longstanding and productive partnership between Kenya and Germany. He acknowledged that while global development budgets are tightening, Germany continues to prioritize sectors where cooperation has delivered strong outcomes, including climate action, drought resilience, and irrigation development. He affirmed that the upcoming consultations in Germany will offer a timely opportunity to explore new commitments and deepen collaboration.

Both parties underscored the need to sustain the gains achieved under the Mount Kenya Smallholder Programme and to scale successful models across the country to enhance the value and volume of agricultural production.