Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has urged boda boda riders to grow at least two trees of avocado, saying it is the new money-minting venture.

Speaking on Friday, August 15, 2025, during an empowerment rally in Malava, Mudavadi challenged the locals to consider diversifying their sources of income, highlighting that avocado is fast becoming a major export crop in the country.

“Other areas are diversifying. Here, our biggest cash crop is sugarcane, which is good, and we must nurture it and grow it. In Meru, there is coffee, tea, macadamia, and avocado,” Mudavadi said.

Mudavadi stated that the residents of Kakamega County have long depended on sugarcane farming, and that this trend should change.

Diversify income sources

“We have to broaden our sources of income because we cannot depend on just one. We must know that when it is a bad season for sugarcane, we should be able to survive with another cash crop,” he urged.

The Prime Cabinet Secretary equally revealed that Trans-Nzoia County was rapidly overtaking Murang’a County as a major avocado-growing region in the country.

“I want to urge every boda boda operator here to take at least two seedlings of avocado and plant them in their homes. This is a very serious statement I am making to you,” Mudavadi stated.

Growth of avocado export

Avocado is becoming a major export crop in Kenya, and it is paying very highly. Trans-Nzoia County is now about to overtake Murang’a in terms of avocado farming. Even if you have sugarcane, two or three avocado trees in your compound are very important.”

Kenya has emerged as a powerhouse in the global avocado market; a position it’s rapidly consolidated to become Africa’s leading exporter of the fruit.

This rise is attributed to a combination of favorable climatic conditions, increasing global demand, and the shift of smallholder farmers from traditional crops like maize and coffee to this lucrative cash crop.

The country’s strategic location allows for a staggered, near-year-round harvest, giving it a competitive edge in international markets.

According to data from the Horticultural Crops Directorate (HCD), Kenya’s avocado export volumes have seen significant growth. In 2023, the country exported about 123,000 metric tonnes of avocados, which earned Kenya approximately Ksh18 billion