Concrete and steel boom leaves no land to grow food in North Rift

Declining income from agriculture in the North Rift has led to conversion of vast swathes of farmland into commercial plots, with serious implications for food security in the region and the country.

According to an annual crop development report released in January, acreage under crop production in such urban areas as Eldoret, Kitale and Kapsabet has been dwindling due to change of land use to real estate and other commercial purposes.

“Change of land use is posing a serious threat to food security in parts of Rift Valley, as most farmers find it profitable to convert their agricultural land to either settlement or commercial use,” stated the report.

Eldoret town, considered the industrial hub of the North Rift region, is witnessing rapid economic transformation, marked by the emergence of commercial towers.

One of the major highlights of this transformation is the planned construction of a private special economic zone by a Chinese company.

It was commissioned last year in Plateau, some four kilometres from the central business district.

This has pushed land prices to Sh18 million per acre in the affluent Elgon View area.

Keen to cash in on the new commercial boom, farmers have been rushing to subdivide their agricultural land into commercial plots.

Not everyone is enamoured of the concrete jungle and the lure of quick money, though. Some semi-permanent mud-and-iron-sheet houses as well as grass-thatched huts still dot the area.

“As much as I appreciate the rising land prices, it’s not lost on us that the trend poses a serious threat to food security. Regulations need to be put in place,” said Mr Jackson Tuwei from Chepkatet, near Eldoret International Airport.

On his 100 acres of prime land, he grows maize and wheat. He also keeps dairy animals.

Uneconomical units

This fragmentation of what used to be vast tracts of crop plantations has resulted in uneconomical units and low yields.

“I have my own principles and a state-of-the art home is not among top priorities at the moment. I am just comfortable with the house I currently own,” said Mr Jackson Kosgei from Maili Nne, Uasin Gishu County.

With the infrastructure growth around Eldoret airport, Elgon View and Pipeline areas, speculation continues to drive prices of land through the roof. Many people are rushing to secure space close to the facilities in the expectation of making a killing in future.

This rising demand has pushed the cost of an acre from Sh1.8 million to Sh2.6 million.

“The price is set to increase further as more investors rush to purchase land close to the airport for future use,” said Mr Hancox Tum, a real estate agent in Eldoret.

“The airport is creating a multiplier effect due to availability of casual employment and demand for land and residential houses,” said Mr Jackson Too, who owns residential houses around the airport.

Several institutions offering courses aligned to the aviation industry have sprung up in Eldoret, an indication that the airport is greatly influencing industrial growth in the North Rift region.