Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka (C ), Council of Governors CEO Mary Mwiti(C) together with other Agriculture stakeholders during the launch of The Model County Youth in Agribusiness Strategy in Nairobi on Wednesday August 12, 2026.
NAIROBI, August 12, 2026 – County governments have unveiled the Model County Youth in Agrifood Systems Strategy aimed at creating an enabling environment for young people to establish businesses, access finance and markets, and take leadership roles across Kenya’s agrifood value chains.
The strategy, developed by the Council of Governors (CoG) with technical and financial support from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), seeks to shift the focus from discussions on youth unemployment to practical interventions that create sustainable livelihoods and investment opportunities.
Speaking during the launch in Nairobi, CoG Chief Executive Officer Mary Mwiti said young people must be placed at the centre of Kenya’s development agenda by providing structured opportunities to participate and prosper in agriculture.
“Young people must remain at the centre of our development agenda, and this strategy provides a practical pathway to gainful livelihoods, sustainable development, and scalable economic opportunities,” said Mwiti.
She said the framework would enable counties to engage young people more effectively while strengthening collaboration with the private sector and development partners.
“With AGRA and our other partners, we have developed a long-term, integrated and sustainable model that gives counties a structured way to engage young people while bringing the private sector into the equation,” Mwiti said.
AGRA Director for Policy and State Capability Boaz Keizire said the organisation would continue partnering with counties to turn the strategy into practical opportunities for young people.
“As an institution, we pledge our continued partnership with counties to turn this strategy into action. We will work alongside counties to translate these solutions into real livelihoods, enterprises and opportunities for young people in agribusiness,” Keizire said.
He said stronger partnerships at the county level would be critical in connecting young entrepreneurs with the resources required to build sustainable enterprises.
“By creating stronger county-level ecosystems and connecting young people to finance, markets, technology and investment, we can help them move from being participants in agriculture to becoming owners, innovators and leaders within the agrifood economy,” he said.
The strategy comes as Kenya grapples with the challenge of creating productive livelihoods for its rapidly growing youthful population. World Bank data indicates that about 75 percent of the country’s population is below 35 years, while more than 800,000 young people enter the labour market annually.
Agriculture remains a major pillar of the economy, contributing about 22.4 percent of Gross Domestic Product directly and another 27 percent indirectly through linkages with manufacturing, distribution and other sectors.
However, the sector continues to face challenges in attracting and retaining young people, many of whom perceive agriculture as labour-intensive, risky and offering limited economic opportunities.
Bungoma Governor Ken Lusaka said the CoG would deploy a dedicated team to track implementation of the strategy, support counties in its rollout and strengthen the capacity of young people to take advantage of emerging opportunities in agribusiness.
The framework provides counties with guidance on mainstreaming youth in county planning, improving access to finance and markets, leveraging public-private partnerships, strengthening coordination and creating an enabling environment for youth-led enterprises.
The launch also showcased youth-led agribusinesses from Kirinyaga, Bungoma, Kakamega, Nakuru and Meru counties, demonstrating how young entrepreneurs are creating businesses and opportunities across agricultural value chains.
Flagship interventions under the strategy were presented to development partners and private-sector actors for consideration, with the aim of mobilising technical and financial support for implementation.
The Model County Youth in Agrifood Systems Strategy seeks to transform Kenya’s youth dividend into an economic opportunity by enabling young people to move beyond participation to ownership, innovation and leadership in the agrifood economy.
