By Hon.Sam Weya
Many of us own or have access to land in Siaya and across Nyanza that is currently lying idle or underutilized.
At the same time, Kenya is facing a huge shortage of cassava for industrial use especially for:
• Starch (food, textile, paper industries)
• Ethanol (fuel, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing)
This gap is worth billions of shillings annually.
What is the opportunity?
We are mobilising farmers and landowners to participate in a structured cassava program focused on:
• Contract farming (guaranteed market)
• Mechanised land preparation & planting
• Access to certified planting materials
• Aggregation & industrial processing
Why Cassava?
• Thrives in Siaya climate
• Low risk compared to many crops
• High demand locally and regionally
• Potential returns: KES 50,000 – 100,000 per acreThe Vision
To position Siaya & Nyanza as the cassava industrial hub of East Africa
This means:
• Jobs for youth
• Income for families
• Value addition within the region
Who should be interested?
• Landowners (1 acre and above)
• Farmers
• Professionals with idle land back home
• Youth groups & cooperatives
home + land + identity)
• Gives clear financial incentive
• Shows structure (not guesswork farming)
• Creates call to action immediately
The writer is a former MP for Alego and a farmer
