President William Ruto revealed that staying away from his farm for three weeks made him feel sick.
He said farming remained one of his greatest passions. The President also described his farm as a special place in his life.
Speaking on Thursday, October 8, 2026, Ruto made the remarks during the Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Summit at Jamhuri Grounds in Nairobi. He also explained his government’s plans to improve farming and food production across Kenya.
Ruto’s love for farming
“If there is one thing that I am very proud of… is that I am a farmer, and I love farming,” Ruto said.
The President explained that he enjoyed spending time on his farm. He said going for several weeks without visiting it affected him.
“In fact, many days when I don’t go to the farm for like three weeks, I really get sick because the farm is a very special place,” Ruto said.
Ruto revisits 2022 promises
Ruto also revisited his government’s agricultural promises made in 2022. He said the Kenya Kwanza administration outlined four commitments to improve farming. These formed part of its plan to strengthen food production.
“We made commitments in 2022, and we were very deliberate about the commitments we made in 2022 on what our plan was on matters to do with agriculture and the whole space around food systems,” he said.
The President said the government wanted to use accurate data when making agricultural decisions. He explained that information about farmers helped reduce mistakes in planning.
“Number one, we said we want our interventions in farming to be based on accurate data,” Ruto said.
He also explained why data remained important in managing agricultural programmes. He said reliable information helped officials understand farmers and their needs.
“Data helps you to eliminate guesswork or trial and error or operating in a space where you’re not sure of who you’re dealing with, what you’re dealing with, about what,” he explained.
The remarks came during the three-day summit, which ran from October 7 to 9, 2026.
The event brought together farmers, researchers and government officials. Discussions focused on food production, agricultural investment and improving farmers’ incomes.