Siaya Set to Benefit from KES 21 Billion Rural Kenya Financial Facility

By Eric Omwombo

Siaya is among 14 Counties set to benefit from a Sh 21 Billion-Rural Kenya Financial Facility yet to be rolled out to farmers by the national government.

According to Siaya County Secretary Joseph Ogutu, the six-year program will facilitate small-scale farmers at the grassroots to enhance the food value chain and marketing.

It targets youth, women, and people living with disabilities and it shall run for six years (2022-2028).

It’s the signing of a partnership between the government and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) that saw more than Sh 20 billion mobilized.

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“it aims at improving rural and green financing for small-scale farmers,”

The agricultural sector contributes immensely to Kenya’s gross domestic product (GDP) at 23 per cent, thus its importance to the economy.

The new financing vehicle will mobilize finances that will be channelled to small farmers and this will go a long way in addressing the sector’s myriad of challenges, including limited financial inclusion, technological drawbacks, and climate change effects that have lowered productivity to an extent of causing in food insecurity in the country.

Ogutu welcomed the RK FINFA program saying it will empower the rural farmers in terms of improving their livelihoods, poverty reduction and focusing on matters of enhancing climate resilience.

“This is a sister project which is funded by IFAD namely KelCop and aquaculture Business Development Program that is already ongoing and so Siaya is among 14 counties identified to benefit from this project.

Siaya government is ready and will support this project. We are ready to do our part to make the project a reality and at the opportune time, when we roll out the project, will sensitize farmers and expected beneficiaries to have knowledge of the project.

We welcome the project and assure the stakeholders, partners and funding agencies of the support of the County government.

The project will be domiciled in the Department of Agriculture.