Lowering food, fuel prices top Cabinet meeting agenda

The rising cost of living topped the agenda of a Cabinet meeting convened by President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday at State House, Nairobi.

Deputy President William Ruto attended the meeting.

To cushion Kenyans against the three-fold increase in energy prices, the Cabinet directed the National Treasury to continue implementing the fuel price stabilization programme.

The Cabinet meeting also considered the state of food security in the country and noted that the food security situation in the current year has been negatively impacted by the delayed long rains.

In response to this challenge, the Cabinet directed the Ministry of Agriculture to enhance access to subsidized fertilizer.

The Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation, on the other hand, was directed to fast-track the construction of various ongoing dams, water pans and reservoirs so as to enhance the coverage of land under irrigation.

In the meeting, the Cabinet also considered the state of the economy within the context of the 2022 Economic Survey.

In 2021, the Kenyan economy recovered from the crippling effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic and expanded by 7.5 per cent compared to a contraction of 0.3 per cent in 2020.

The meeting also considered a number of Parliamentary Bills, Policies, Treaties and Conventions, and the Progress Report of Implementation Status of various Priority Projects.

The focus was put on Education, Agriculture, Healthcare, Enterprises, Infrastructure, Energy, Information and Communication, Industrialization, Investments, Foreign Relations and Defence, and private investments in Kenya Airways PLC and Telkom Kenya Limited.