CS Kagwe rolls out agricultural digitisation to boost export traceability
By Faith Lagat, November 28, 2025Kenya has taken a major step toward fully digitising its agriculture sector after the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) formally handed over the Kenya Integrated Agriculture Management Information System (KIAMIS) to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.
The event, held during the Intergovernmental Forum on Agriculture in Naivasha on November 28, 2025, saw FAO Deputy Country Representative Hamisi William present the system to Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe.
New digital era for farmers
CS Kagwe described the handover as “a new dawn for Kenyan farmers” and a central pillar of President William Ruto’s Digital Super Highway agenda. With more than 7.1 million farmers already registered across crops and livestock, KIAMIS now becomes a fully government-owned platform.
The CS said the system will connect “every village in Kenya and every farmer” to digital services, enabling delivery of subsidised inputs, soil health information, and tailored agronomic advisories directly to farmers’ phones in real time.
“It’s a new dawn for farmers,” unlocking smarter service delivery, real-time verification, better access to inputs, and export-ready traceability,” read the CS’s X post.
“Every village in Kenya and every farmer will now be connected to the digital super highway,” said CS Kagwe. “This is critical for delivering subsidised farm inputs, soil health information, and tailored agronomic advisories directly to farmers’ phones.”
The platform will be hosted at the newly transformed Kenya Agriculture Data and Information Centre (KADIC), formerly AIRC. Under the leadership of Director Betty Cheroigin and Digital Director Juma Salim, KADIC is being positioned as the country’s central hub for agriculture intelligence.
ANITRAC boosts export confidence
KIAMIS will operate alongside ANITRAC, Kenya’s newly completed livestock traceability system. Livestock Principal Secretary Jonathan Mueke said the platform is already transforming the livestock value chain and raising Kenya’s competitiveness in global markets.
“We have completed the development of ANITRAC, Kenya’s new livestock traceability system. This is not just a platform; it is a policy instrument that anchors transparency, food safety, and market confidence,” he said.
Assistant Country rep Hamisi Williams handing over KIAMIS to Agriculture and Livestock Development CS Mutahi Kagwe, PS Jonathan Mueke and KADIC Director Betty Cheroigin and Data and Digital Director Salim Kinyimu.
PS Mueke highlighted that since the rollout of ANITRAC, Kenya’s meat exports have grown by 45 percent. He assured buyers that “whatever is keyed into ANITRAC cannot be manipulated,” noting that importers can now verify all details in real time. Vaccination records, farm practices, and animal movement permits are fully captured, meeting strict international export requirements.
Integrated systems for smarter services
FAO confirmed that integration between KIAMIS and digital systems at the Ministry of Lands is underway to strengthen farmer verification, credit access, planning, and digital extension. With both KIAMIS and ANITRAC now consolidated under KADIC, Kenya joins a small group of African nations with an integrated digital agriculture and traceability architecture.
The twin platforms promise smarter service delivery, real-time verification, improved input access, and export-ready traceability, setting the stage for a data-driven transformation of Kenyan agriculture.