Eldama Ravine – Kenya’s First Lady Mama Rachel Ruto has called on Kenyans to embrace a blend of indigenous knowledge and modern farming practices to boost household food production and strengthen national nutrition. Speaking during the national rollout of the Mama Kitchen Garden Program at the Koibatek Agricultural Training Center in Eldama Ravine, Nakuru County, the First Lady urged families to adopt sustainable farming methods to ensure a healthy, food-secure future.
“We are on a mission to increase the household vegetable intake by empowering Kenyan women to establish thriving kitchen gardens for their families,” Mama Rachel said. “Indeed, food security is the basic foundation of a prosperous nation.”
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The Mama Kitchen Garden Program is a key initiative under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), and it aims to improve food and nutrition security at the grassroots level by encouraging the establishment of home and school-based gardens. The First Lady emphasized the importance of integrating traditional agricultural knowledge with innovative methods to achieve sustainable, climate-resilient farming. |
Mama Rachel noted that the program had already been piloted over the past eight months in selected schools, including Saint George’s Primary and Nairobi Primary, within the capital city. The initiative has since been extended to schools in 21 counties, building what she described as “a growing network of green spaces that feed, teach, and inspire.”
“The goal is to eventually expand this program to all 47 counties — school by school, home by home — leaving no household, no child, and no community behind,” she said.
The First Lady highlighted the direct relationship between nutrition and learning outcomes, pointing out that hunger and malnutrition hinder cognitive development and academic performance among children.
“At the heart of this initiative lies a simple truth: you cannot teach a hungry child,” she said. “Hunger and malnutrition are not merely health issues; they are barriers to learning, obstacles to development, and roadblocks to prosperity.”
To support the initiative’s expansion, the Ministry of Agriculture and development partners will provide essential resources, including seeds, training, gardening tools, and agricultural extension services. International partners in the program include the Rockefeller Foundation, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP), and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Also present at the launch were Environment Cabinet Secretary Dr. Deborah Baraza, Baringo Deputy Governor Felix Kipng’ok, Principal Secretaries, Members of Parliament, county officials, exhibitors, and other program partners.
Earlier in the day, Mama Rachel visited Testai Comprehensive School in Rongai Constituency and Ndungiri Comprehensive School in Subukia Constituency, both in Nakuru County. There, she donated shoes and milk to learners as part of the broader Mama Doing Good initiative — a social empowerment program that seeks to improve the welfare of women and children across the country.
The First Lady said such efforts have already begun to make a meaningful difference, contributing to increased school enrollment and higher retention rates among vulnerable learners.
As Kenya faces ongoing challenges in food security and child nutrition, the Mama Kitchen Garden Program stands out as a homegrown solution designed to uplift communities and cultivate a healthier, more food-secure nation.
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