The governor of Kirinyaga Anne Waiguru has welcomed the move by President Uhuru Kenyatta to order that rice farmers be paid more by Kenya's rice-buying institutions.
In a tweet on Saturday, the county boss said that the order had won the head of state a special place in the hearts of the rice farmers from Kirinyaga county.
"H.E Pres Uhuru wins hearts of Kirinyaga rice farmers with interventions on rice farming. He instructed that all govt institutions buy rice at Ksh85 up from Ksh50 per Kg; also that subsidized fertilizer is delivered to coops, and distributed at the right prices, " the Kirinyaga county governor wrote in her Saturday tweet.
President Uhuru and his entourage descended on Kirinyaga county where he came with good tidings for the farmers in the county who dabble in rice farming.
Beyond issuing an order for the price of rice to be revised upwards, the head of state ordered rice-buying institutions to ensure that they only buy rice from local farmers.
"President Kenyatta has assured of the Government’s commitment to addressing challenges facing farmers countrywide. Speaking on the rice sector, the President directed government institutions to buy only locally produced rice so that farmers reap maximum returns from their hard work, " State House wrote.