Kenya’s maize prices hit 20-month high as supply dips, Galana Kulalu expansion offers hope

KENYA – Maize prices in Kenya have soared to a 20-month high, driven by reduced output, delayed harvests, and increased demand.

The average price of a kilogramme of loose maize rose to KES 71.24 (US$0.55) in July 2025, just shy of the KES 71.98 (US$0.56) recorded in November 2023, according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).

Retail prices of a 90-kilogramme bag of maize have hit KES 6,400 (US$ 49.30) in parts of Western and Southern Kenya, regions dominated by smallholder farming, well before the expected harvest season.

In the country’s maize belt, North Rift, large-scale harvests are not anticipated until October or November, leaving a wide supply gap.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe had in April authorised the duty-free importation of 5.5 million bags of yellow maize intended for animal feed use to ease competition with white maize.

However, this intervention has yet to stabilise the market, with millers still resorting to imports from neighbouring Tanzania.

Wholesale maize prices rose sharply in early 2025, from KES 3,400–3,500 (US$26.20–27.00) per 90-kg bag in December 2024 to KES 4,250–4,300 (US$32.70–33.10) in April 2025, costs that millers passed on to consumers.

For the first time since November 2023, the price of a two-kilogramme packet of sifted maize flour has risen above KES 160 (US$1.23), while fortified flour is selling for over KES 170 (US$1.31), a level last recorded in February 2024.

The inflationary pressure extends beyond maize. Kenya’s annual inflation rate rose to 4.1% in July 2025, up from 3.8% in June, driven by higher food, electricity, and fuel costs, according to KNBS.  

Galana Kulalu expansion targets long-term food security

As the country grapples with the maize shortage, the government is pushing forward with the revitalisation of the Galana Kulalu Food Security Project, a large-scale irrigation programme in Kilifi and Tana River counties.

The project aims to reduce Kenya’s reliance on rain-fed agriculture by developing a model agro-industrial hub.

Eric Mugaa, Water, Sanitation and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary, announced the addition of 1,500 acres to the 1,060 acres currently under seed maize production.

“By the end of the year, a total of 3,200 acres will be under crop. The first crop, planted in May, is expected to mature by early October,” he said during a project inspection tour.

According to him, to improve access to the area, construction of the Sabaki Bridge is underway and currently 50% complete. Once finished, it will open up over 200,000 acres of arable land, facilitate the transportation of agricultural inputs such as fertiliser, and support irrigation expansion.

The Galana Kulalu project, first launched in 2013 under the late President Uhuru Kenyatta, had stalled due to funding constraints and implementation setbacks. It was restructured in January 2023 under a Public-Private Partnership model, with plans to cultivate the already developed 10,000 acres and expand by another 10,000 acres in the medium term.

The National Irrigation Authority (NIA), which oversees the project, has constructed significant water infrastructure to support irrigation, including a 500-cubic-metre dam, intake works, a pumping system, and seven operating pivots, with two more underway.

Additional facilities include a 20,000 cubic metre intake well, a two-kilometre lined canal, a 550,000 cubic metre reservoir, and a 20,000 cubic metre offtake sump.

NIA CEO Charles Muasya said the facilities are currently sustaining the seed maize under irrigation and will be vital to future scaling. “Our target remains 3,200 acres under crop by the end of the year,” he confirmed.

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