Under Kibaki's presidency, Kenya's horticulture sector, particularly the production and export of cut flowers, experienced significant growth and became one of the most dynamic and export-oriented agricultural subsectors. Kenya's ideal climate, particularly in the Central Highlands and the Rift Valley, favoured the production of high-quality cut flowers for the European market. Kibaki's government supported this sector through investment in infrastructure, including the development of improved transportation and cold storage facilities, and through trade policies that facilitated the export of horticultural products.
The cut flower export industry under Kibaki expanded dramatically, with Kenya becoming one of the world's largest exporters of cut flowers by the end of his presidency. The sector provided employment for tens of thousands of Kenyans, particularly women, in flower farms across the country. The flower farms developed significant infrastructure, including sophisticated greenhouse facilities, irrigation systems, and export processing centres that connected Kenyan flowers to European and global markets. The success of the horticulture sector made it a model for agricultural export growth and a bright spot in Kenya's development record.
However, the expansion of flower production also created environmental and social challenges. The intensive irrigation required for flower production in semi-arid regions like the upper Rift Valley raised concerns about water availability and the depletion of water resources. Some flower farms were implicated in the over-extraction of groundwater, which lowered water tables and threatened the water supply for pastoral and agricultural communities in the region. The sector was also criticised for labour conditions, with reports of low wages, long working hours, and limited worker benefits, particularly for the predominantly female workforce.
The horticultural sector's growth also contributed to patterns of land consolidation and the displacement of smallholder farmers. Land that had previously been used for subsistence agriculture was converted to cut flower production, often through the sale of small holdings to larger commercial farmers or corporations. This process of commercialisation and land concentration reflected broader trends in Kenya's agricultural sector, where smallholder farming was giving way to larger-scale commercial agriculture oriented toward export markets.
Despite these challenges, the horticulture sector represented a success story for Kibaki's economic development approach. The sector demonstrated that Kenya could compete in global agricultural markets, that export-oriented agriculture could generate significant foreign exchange, and that private investment in agriculture could drive rapid growth. The cut flower boom contributed significantly to Kenya's foreign exchange earnings and made horticulture an important component of the country's economic structure during and after Kibaki's presidency.
See Also
Kenya Agricultural Exports Horticulture Industry Kenya Cut Flower Production Kenya Agricultural Commercialisation Water Resources and Agriculture Kibaki Economic Record
Sources
- Kenya Horticultural Exporters Association. Sector Overview and Statistics 2002-2013. KHEA Publications, 2013.
- Jaffee, Steven, and Peter Maxton. "Agricultural Trade and Food Security Policy in East Africa." World Bank Economic Review, Vol. 25, No. 3, 2011.
- Kenya Water Resources Management Authority. Water Use in Agriculture Report 2013. Government Publications, 2013.