Kenya

UAE company Al Dhara announces that, under the patronage of H.E. Dr. William Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya, it has signed an MoU to develop and manage up to 200,000 acres of irrigated farmland in the Galana-Kulalu Ranch

The continued invasion of tea estates has reignited discussions on historical land injustices, with some local leaders attributing the unrest to unresolved grievances over land ownership.

Selu Limited, a special-purpose vehicle tasked with transforming the Galana-Kulalu project, has been allocated 20,000 acres within the scheme to produce 720,000 bags of maize and 160,000 bags of soybeans annually over the next 30 years.

The Israel-based company has begun avocado farming in Kenya on a 400-hectare farm where it has planted 55,000 trees of avocado with the ultimate target of 300,000.

Le groupe émirati Al Dahra, spécialisé dans l’agriculture à grande échelle, est en discussions avec le gouvernement kényan pour louer près de 81 000 hectares de terres agricoles situées dans une zone d’irrigation.

The negotiations come amid a backdrop of growing scrutiny regarding land leasing practices in Africa. Critics argue that large-scale land acquisitions by foreign firms can lead to land dispossession and adverse environmental impacts. It remains to be seen how Al Dahra addresses these issues.

Al Dahra will probably invest about $800 million to farm 200,000 acres [81,000 ha] of land at an irrigation development located in the coastal region, according to Kenya’s principal secretary for irrigation, Ephantus Kimotho.

Kenya has revealed plans to lease large tracts of land to Israeli investors for wheat production, marking a renewed agricultural venture after an earlier Israeli-led maize project at the Galana-Kulalu irrigation scheme failed.

Selu Africa Limited, which is at the final stages of acquiring a lease, will put in an initial 80 million US Dollars to open up 20,000 acres of land for irrigation over a three-year period

On May 7, 2024, Lipton announced the sale of its Kenyan tea estates to LOLC Holdings PLC. The tea estates are on land that was violently seized from the Kipsigis and Talai clans by the British army in the early 20th century.

“Some African nations, such as Kenya and Uganda, are ready to fast-track collaboration in agriculture with India and recently offered land on lease to Indian businesses during a delegation visit," said an Indian official

The Nyumba Foundation has received the go-ahead to grow edible oil crops on 40,000 acres Agricultural Development Corporation land in Kilifi county.