Co-operative Bank of Kenya and Car & General (Trading) Limited, the authorised distributor of Kubota tractors in Kenya, have partnered to make modern agricultural machinery more accessible to farmers, cooperatives and agribusinesses through flexible asset financing.
The partnership will allow eligible customers to acquire new Kubota tractors and agricultural implements under financing arrangements designed to accommodate the unique cash-flow patterns of agricultural businesses. Depending on the financing structure, customers can access up to 100 per cent financing, with repayment periods of up to 72 months.
The facility will also provide seasonal repayment options, enabling farmers to align their loan repayments with agricultural income cycles. The financing will be available nationwide through Co-operative Bank’s branch network and Car & General’s dealer network.
Samuel Birech, Director of Retail and Business Banking at Co-operative Bank of Kenya, said the financing package was developed in response to feedback from the bank’s agricultural customers, who have identified the cost and structure of financing as key barriers to mechanisation.
He said farmers and cooperatives require financing arrangements that reflect the seasonal nature of agricultural incomes rather than conventional repayment structures designed for other sectors.
George Rubiri, General Manager of Car & General, said the partnership combines Kubota’s agricultural machinery expertise with Co-operative Bank’s financing capabilities to enable more farmers and cooperatives to invest in modern equipment.
The partnership comes at a time when agricultural mechanisation remains an important part of efforts to improve productivity, efficiency and profitability across Kenya’s agricultural value chain. Agriculture generated an estimated KSh4.07 trillion in 2025 and accounted for 23.2 per cent of Kenya’s Gross Domestic Product, according to figures cited by the partners.
Despite the sector’s economic importance, many farmers and agricultural enterprises continue to face challenges acquiring tractors and other modern machinery because of high upfront costs. Limited access to appropriately structured credit can further delay investment in equipment, particularly among smallholder farmers, cooperatives and agricultural SMEs.
The new financing facility seeks to address this challenge by reducing the upfront financial burden and offering repayment terms that are more closely aligned with agricultural cash flows.
Access to tractors and implements can support farmers in activities such as land preparation, planting and other farm operations, potentially reducing reliance on manual labour and improving the efficiency of farming operations.
For cooperatives and agribusinesses, the availability of financed machinery could also create opportunities to expand mechanised services and support farmers across different stages of the agricultural value chain.
Co-operative Bank has traditionally maintained a strong focus on Kenya’s cooperative and agricultural sectors and has continued to develop asset finance solutions targeting farmers, businesses and cooperative societies.
The latest partnership with Car & General therefore represents an expansion of the bank’s asset financing strategy, while giving Kubota equipment wider access among Kenyan agricultural enterprises.
By combining equipment distribution with structured financing, the two institutions aim to support increased investment in farm machinery and contribute to the broader modernisation of Kenya’s agricultural sector.
The initiative is also expected to deepen access to formal financing among farmers and agricultural businesses that may otherwise struggle to meet the upfront cost of mechanisation.