President Uhuru Kenyatta has made an intervention in the plight of rice farmers.
The head of state issued an order on Saturday that the Sh70 per kilo price offered to the farmers be revised upwards to 85 shillings.
Uhuru's order was revealed by State House on Saturday on its Twitter handle and will be implemented by the Kenya National Trading Corporation, which buys rice from farmers.
"The Head of State also ordered the Kenya National Trading Corporation to be buying rice from the farmers at a cost of Shs 85 per kilo of paddy instead of the current Shs 70 per kilo," State House wrote in its Saturday tweet.
Uhuru also ordered rice-buying institutions to only buy rice from local farmers.
The order is consistent with the head of the state's pledge a few weeks ago to ensure that the interests of farmers across the country are well-taken care of.
Rice farmers, like other farmers, have long decried low prices and the president's intervention is seen as a response to those cries.
Leaders from Central Kenya have in the past accused the government of not doing enough to ensure that farmers from the region are well-taken care of.
Mwea, located in Kirinyaga county, is a rice-growing area, boasting of vast rice paddies.