Kenya has taken a major leap in the digitisation of its agriculture sector after the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) officially handed over the Kenya Integrated Agriculture Management Information System (KIAMIS) to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.
The handover, conducted during the ongoing Intergovernmental Forum on Agriculture in Naivasha, marks one of the most significant milestones in the country’s pursuit of a fully digital, data-driven agricultural ecosystem.
FAO Deputy Country Representative Hamisi William led the ceremony, formally transferring KIAMIS to Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development Mutahi Kagwe.
With over 7.1 million registered crop and livestock farmers already onboarded, KIAMIS now becomes a cornerstone platform for the Ministry, enabling real-time agricultural intelligence and improved service delivery.
The system will now be housed at the newly restructured Kenya Agriculture Data and Information Centre (KADIC), formerly known as the Agricultural Information Resource Centre (AIRC).
Its new role positions KADIC as the central command hub for Kenya’s agricultural data, anchoring policy formulation, farmer verification, input distribution, and digital extension services.
CS Kagwe hailed the handover as a historic moment for the agricultural sector and a critical pillar of President William Ruto’s Digital Super Highway agenda.
He described KIAMIS as a gateway to empowering farmers through improved access to information and government services.
“Every village in Kenya and every farmer will now be connected to the digital super highway,” Kagwe said. “This is critical for delivering subsidised farm inputs, soil health information, and tailored agronomic advisories directly to farmers’ phones.”
Hamisi underscored FAO’s commitment to strengthening Kenya’s digital agriculture systems, noting that their work extends beyond KIAMIS.
He revealed that FAO is collaborating closely with the Ministry of Lands to ensure that agricultural and land-based digital platforms become fully interoperable.
This integration, he said, will enhance planning, improve farmer identification, simplify credit assessment, and support transparent land-use mapping.
KADIC’s transformation is being steered by Director Betty Cheroigin and Digital Director Juma Salim, who will now oversee two national systems following KIAMIS’ integration with ANITRAC — Kenya’s recently developed livestock traceability platform.
According to Livestock Principal Secretary Jonathan Mueke, ANITRAC is already reshaping the livestock value chain, strengthening transparency, and boosting Kenya’s competitiveness in premium export markets.
He highlighted the growing global expectation for food traceability and the need for countries to demonstrate supply-chain integrity.
“Today’s consumer wants traceability — farm to fork,” Mueke said.
“If we are going to compete in premium global markets, we must demonstrate that our farmers meet every export requirement with absolute integrity.”
He confirmed that ANITRAC is fully operational, describing it as more than just a digital platform.
“We have completed the development of ANITRAC. This is not just a system; it is a policy instrument that anchors transparency, food safety, and market confidence,” he said.
Mueke revealed that since Kenya rolled out the ANITRAC policy, meat exports have grown by 45 per cent — a development he attributed to the system’s ability to provide verifiable, tamper-proof livestock data to international buyers.
He added that vaccination records, movement permits, and farm practices are now captured in a unified digital matrix that importers can authenticate in real time.
With both KIAMIS and ANITRAC now consolidated under KADIC, Kenya joins a small group of African countries running an integrated digital agriculture and traceability architecture.
by JAMES GICHIGI
