Abstract:
This paper analyses Kenya’s food security policies since independence in 1963 to 2020. The
country has faced persistent food insecurity due to volatile harvests, corruption, and poor roads,
which lead to poor food distribution in some parts of the nation. While initial policies favoured
large-scale export farming, the 1980s National Food Policy shifted focus to sustainable
agriculture and smallholder support through fertilizer subsidies, irrigation programmes, and a
keen focus on improving road connectivity in Kenya. Despite these interventions, challenges
persist. These include inadequate infrastructure, climate change impacts, limited smallholder
financing, and inequitable land ownership. COVID-19 further exposed supply chain
vulnerabilities. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of government interventions in irrigation,
subsidies, and road infrastructure development and proposes new strategies for Kenya’s food
security.
Keywords: Food policy, food security, road network, subsidy, sustainability
