Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka has signed into law the Bungoma County Agriculture Institutions Development Corporation Act, 2025, paving the way for the establishment of a Sh230 million corporation to oversee, finance and modernize key agricultural institutions across the county.
The new law creates the Bungoma County Agriculture Institutions Development Corporation, a body mandated to manage strategic agricultural facilities, invest in value chains and provide a structured framework for agricultural development in the county.
Speaking during the assent ceremony at his office in Bungoma, Lusaka said the legislation would strengthen agricultural production and value addition by ensuring county agricultural institutions are professionally managed and adequately funded.
The governor noted that agriculture remains the backbone of Bungoma’s economy, with thousands of households depending on sugarcane, maize, dairy farming and other agricultural enterprises for their livelihoods.
The corporation has been established under Section 182 of the Public Finance Management Act, 2012 and the Public Finance Management (County Government Public Funds) Regulations, 2015, giving the county a formal legal and institutional framework for managing agricultural assets and investments.
Among the institutions that will immediately fall under the corporation are the Mabanga Agricultural Training Centre, the Agricultural Mechanization Service Unit, the county soil testing laboratory and the Chwele Fish Farm.
The Act further provides room for the inclusion of additional agricultural institutions through gazettement as the need arises.
Under the law, the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Agriculture, with the approval of the County Assembly, will have powers to establish and gazette new institutions to be managed by the corporation.
Operations of the corporation will be overseen by the Agriculture CECM, a Board of Directors, a Chief Executive Officer and supporting staff.
The Governor said the county government has earmarked an initial capital injection of Sh. 230 million to operationalise the corporation, with the funds expected to come from county budgetary allocations and other legally approved sources.
The legislation, he said, also grants the corporation powers to invest in agriculture-related value chains subject to approval by the Agriculture CECM.
To guide its operations, the corporation will be required to develop a five-year corporate investment strategy within four months after the appointment of its board.
The strategy will provide a roadmap for investments in agricultural infrastructure, mechanization, training, research and value addition initiatives aimed at improving productivity and farmers’ incomes.
The Act also outlines provisions on the dissolution of the corporation, protection of board members and officials from personal liability while undertaking official duties, and grants the Agriculture CECM powers to formulate regulations necessary for implementation of the law.
The assent ceremony was witnessed by Bungoma County Assembly Clerk Charles Wafula and members of the County Assembly Agriculture Committee.
The establishment of the corporation is expected to inject fresh momentum into Bungoma’s agricultural sector by improving service delivery, strengthening extension support and creating a sustainable financing model for county agricultural institutions.
By Chris Mahandara
