Ruto Launches Cocoa as Cash Crop, Promises Seedlings to Farmers

President William Ruto has launched cocoa as a scheduled cash crop in Kenya, urging farmers in suitable regions to embrace its cultivation.

Speaking during Mazingira Day celebrations in Endebess, Trans Nzoia County, Ruto announced that the plan was aimed at expanding agricultural earnings while supporting environmental conservation.

He promised that the government would work with the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO) and the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) to increase the supply of cocoa seedlings.

“Today here in Kitale, we are launching cocoa as a scheduled cash crop, and we are distributing seedlings immediately,” he announced.

He said the crop presented an opportunity for farmers to diversify their incomes while contributing to the country’s tree-planting and forest restoration efforts.

“From cocoa, we can produce beverage mixes, food items, chocolate, and many other products,” Ruto stated.

“For that reason, I urge Kenyans in areas mapped out for cocoa cultivation to take up farming it, because it is also a tree. As we reforest our country, we can simultaneously boost our incomes.”

The President indicated that KALRO had already conducted research and had seedlings available for distribution, adding that a partnership with KEPHIS would help ensure farmers could access sufficient planting materials.

Ruto also outlined plans to accelerate afforestation through aerial seeding, saying the government had started using aircraft to distribute seedballs developed by the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI).

The approach, he explained, would help reach remote areas where conventional tree planting is difficult, speeding up forest restoration and environmental conservation.

At the same time, the President also announced fresh infrastructure investments in Trans Nzoia, including a Sh1.2 billion road project connecting Endebess, Bwala, Matumbei and Posta.

He said construction was already under way, with the contractor paving sections of the road, and directed that the project be completed within one year.

Ruto added that the Endebess-Suam road was nearing completion, while the government had allocated Sh18 billion for road construction across the county, covering eight new projects.

“Trans Nzoia will not be left behind in our development plans,” he noted, assuring residents that the region would also benefit from the national Affordable Housing Programme.

He also reviewed progress at the Endebess Sub-County Hospital Mother and Child Complex, which is 88 per cent complete and scheduled for completion by the end of the year.

The facility will include a radiology unit, accident and emergency department, maternal and child health wing, outpatient department, a 26-bed maternity unit and 54 newborn cots.

The radiology unit will be equipped through the National Equipment Service Programme.

The expanded complex is expected to improve access to specialised maternal and child healthcare, bringing essential services closer to families and easing longstanding healthcare challenges in the county.

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