15,000 households in Makueni to receive kitchen garden kits to support food security

A partnership between the national agriculture ministry and Makueni County is set to kit 15,000 households with kitchen garden equipment in a bid to support food security.

The initiative under the One Million Kitchen Gardens Plan was officially launched in Kasikeu, Kilome subcounty by Agriculture Chief Administrative Secretary Anne Nyaga and Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana on Friday.

The CAS said the programme is an initiative by the National Government in partnership with selected counties and is targeting to reach a million families countrywide to help in boosting reliable food as well as adopting a healthy diet in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The kitchen garden kits comprise a variety of vegetables like Kale, Spinach, Black Nightshade, Amaranth, Cowpeas and solar driers.

“We would like to put on emphasis on a balanced diet through these kits so that we can be able to boost our immunity and create an immunity that is able to fight COVID-19 and other diseases. To ensure this doesn’t fail we will be giving out grants to ensure farmers are able to purchase the necessary inputs for their produce to yield,” she said.

Governor Kivutha Kibwana who accompanied the CAS said that the initiative was going to help in improving the immunity and incomes of Kenyans.

He further noted that his county government was going to help supporting the rollout of the initiative to other areas through its Department of Agricultural and ensure that all residents in Makueni County benefit from it.

“We think that if this is expanded to the entire country which will lift the economic status of Kenyans as well as their immunity and this will enable us as a country. My Agricultural department will ensure that this goes to reach every household,” Kibwana promised.