News in brief: The government of Kenya and USAID are training local authorities, including Members of County Assembly (MCAs) from 12 counties, on developing legislation and policies to improve food production.
Kenya and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) are training local authorities on building agricultural capacity and food security.
Kenyaâs Members of County Assembly (MCAs), drawn from 12 counties, are participating in the training, a local news report said.
The training aims to create awareness about the importance of agriculture to national development. It will also help the MCAs come up with necessary legislation and policy frameworks to boost food production in the country.
Kenya Corps and Dairy Market System (KCDMS) is supporting the programme alongside the foreign agency. Director of Agriculture Policy and Institutional Capacity Development at KCDMS, Dr. Josephine Songa, said that the country’s agriculture suffers from inadequate financing due to lack of clear policies and legal frameworks in the devolved units.
Hence, the need for the training as only about 10% of allocations go to the sector, which was seriously affecting food production and nutrition across the country.
Dubbed Super Champions for Change Leadership, the training will see 177 MCAs, who are members of the Agriculture Committee, participate. It will also cater to 12 County Executive Committee Members for agriculture.
Dr. Songa further revealed that the beneficiaries of the course are expected to share the knowledge to their colleagues in other relevant committees. She said this would ensure that the sector, which contributes 36% to the countryâs GDP, receives the necessary attention.â
Additionally, she said that it was critical to equip them with the knowledge and skills to negotiate for more allocations for the sector in the county’s budgets. She mentioned that it was necessary to put policy framework and legislation in place to attract private sector investments.
The training is expected to foster cohesion between the county assemblies and the executive to ensure that the agriculture sector is well-developed to enhance food security and nutrition. It will empower the MCAs with the right information to come up with agriculture-friendly laws.
