The Kenyan government through the Ministry of Agriculture will spend Ksh80 million in the 2024/2025 financial year to scare Quelea birds from farms.
This was captured in the Budget Summary for the Fiscal Year 2024/25 released by the National Treasury on Tuesday.
The Ksh80 million is part of the Ksh47 billion allocated to Mithika Linturi’s docket to promote agriculture and food security.
Quelea birds are a thorn to Kenyan farmers as they move in swarms destroying agricultural produce on farms.
They are especially a menace in Kisumu County numbering almost 6 million which has necessitated government intervention.
In Kisumu, they have been partly blamed for the low yield of rice as they invade fields in Ahero and West Kano irrigation schemes.
Initially, the government used to study the sleeping habits of the birds and flush them out at night.
In the new budget allocation, the birds will be scared away using chemical as well as physical equipment.
The birds are also prevalent in areas where sorghum is grown and the government will extend its efforts to those regions using the Ksh80 million kitty.
Apart from flushing Quelea birds, the Agriculture Ministry will also use another Ksh80 million in aflatoxin management.
Other key allocations in the sector include a Ksh2.2 billion that will be used for supporting youth programmes and Ksh108 million in the development of blue economy initiatives.
President William Ruto’s administration will further spend Ksh230 million on cotton and coconut revitalisation programmes and an extra Ksh150 million will go towards pyrethrum recovery.
