Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has proposed a minimum 10-year jail sentence for individuals found guilty of selling fake seeds and fertilizers to farmers.
Speaking on Friday, February 21, Kagwe urged Members of Parliament (MPs) to enact strict laws that would eliminate fines for offenders, ensuring that those caught serve time in jail without any alternative penalties.
Kagwe argued that agriculture is a national security issue, and any attempt to sabotage food production should be met with harsh legal consequences.
“At the moment, people are caught with counterfeit seeds and fertilizers but continue to walk away with minor charges. But this is a sabotage to the economy. In my view, we should enhance the punishment and make them serve a jail sentence of not less than 10 years without a fine—just go to jail,” Kagwe stated.
Push for legislative reforms
The CS made these remarks while appearing before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Agriculture, where he was accompanied by Agriculture Principal Secretary Dr. Paul Rono to present the 2025 Budget Policy Statement (BPS).
The session was chaired by Tigania West MP Dr. John Mutunga.
Kagwe emphasized the need for legislative reforms to criminalize fraudulent activities in the agricultural sector.
He noted that fake agricultural inputs harm farmers and their families, leaving them financially and emotionally distressed.
“When you give fake seeds and a farmer has to wait for eight or nine months to realise they are going nowhere, then a family that intended to feed itself on those seeds becomes dilapidated,” Kagwe explained.
The CS further stressed that fake agricultural products undermine food security, disrupt value chains, and jeopardize the future of Kenya’s agricultural sector.
“We cannot allow unscrupulous dealers to undermine our farmers and jeopardise our agricultural future,” he added.
Protecting farmers from counterfeits
Kagwe’s proposal follows rising cases of Kenyan farmers being victimized by unscrupulous vendors selling fake seeds and fertilizers.
Many farmers have suffered huge losses, leading to poor harvests and economic struggles.
During his vetting before appointment to the critical docket, CS Kagwe had promised a nationwide crackdown on syndicates involved in the sale of counterfeit agricultural products.
If Parliament enacts the proposed laws, dealers in counterfeit seeds and fertilizers could face a mandatory decade-long jail term, marking a major policy shift aimed at safeguarding Kenya’s food security and farmers’ livelihoods.
