Ruto pledges more funding for Met to boost farming

President William Ruto has pledged to support the Kenya Meteorological Department in a bid to boost agriculture in the country.

Ruto said he will ensure the Met department is well supported both financially and technically. 

"This will guarantee the provision of precise and superior weather forecasting that can guide our agriculture," Ruto said.

He made the pledge after a meeting with World Meteorological Organisation Secretary-General Petteri Taalas at State House, Nairobi on Thursday.

Recently, agricultural production has been low after the rains kept failing.

Kenya relies heavily on rainfall and weather patterns for agriculture.

In the 2022-23 budget, the Met department was allocated Sh1.5 billion to enable it deliver on its mandate. 

Under the key allocations of environmental, water and natural resources in the previous budget, the Met department received the least allocation of funds. 

Sh45.9 billion went to water and sewerage infrastructure development to facilitate wide access to clean and adequate water for domestic and agricultural use. 

Water resources management got Sh16 billion, while Sh9.8 billion was allocated to water storage and flood control while irrigation and land reclamation bagged Sh8.5 billion.

Water harvesting and storage for irrigation was allocated Sh2.1 billion, forests and water towers conservation(Sh10.2 billion), environment management and protection(Sh3.1 billion), while Sh7 billion was allocated towards wildlife conservation and management.