Kenya is facing a growing crisis in its food production systems as record-breaking heat combines with an unchecked surge in crop pests. In 2023, the country recorded its hottest year ever, only for 2024 to exceed that milestone. With rising temperatures accelerating the life cycles of insects and crop diseases, Kenyan farmers are grappling with an explosion in pest populations.
Scientific studies show that every 1°C rise in temperature leads to a 10–20% increase in crop damage by pests. For example, the Fall Armyworm (FAW), a notorious maize pest, breeds far more rapidly in warmer conditions slashing its life cycle from 72 days at 20°C to just 40 days at 25°C. A single female FAW can lay up to 2,000 eggs, and under these conditions, its population can explode exponentially, causing catastrophic crop loss.
Despite this growing threat, Kenya’s government banned several key pesticides in 2023 among them, the two most affordable and effective options against FAW. This policy shift came without an adequate plan for alternatives or farmer support. As a result, maize production dropped by 6% in 2024, even though rainfall was better than average.
While organic and biological alternatives do exist, their reach remains limited. Only 140,000 parasitic wasps used to biologically control FAW have been released, covering less than 2% of Kenya’s maize fields. Organic pesticides, meanwhile, have proven only partially effective, clearing just over half of the worms in trials.
Instead of addressing these challenges through science-based assessments, the government has turned pest control into an ideological issue. Critics raising concerns about rising infestations have been labelled as part of “cartels” undermining regulatory institutions. This politicisation has stymied a structured transition away from harmful pesticides.
Kenyan farmers are willing to reduce pesticide use but only with viable, effective alternatives. What’s urgently needed now is a national review to identify which pests were controlled by the banned chemicals, what alternatives are available, and where critical gaps remain. Without a coordinated response, rising heat and inadequate pest control threaten to turn Kenya’s food insecurity into a full-blown crisis.
