Kagwe warns farmers against using fertiliser without soil testing

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has cautioned Kenyan farmers against applying fertiliser without first conducting a soil test. Speaking on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, during the launch of a national soil health campaign called SoilFER at KALRO's Kabete centre, Kagwe stressed that subsidised farm inputs may not boost yields if they do not suit the land's needs.

About 63% of Kenya's arable land is reported to have acidic soils, with nearly seven million acres identified as strongly acidic, according to previous government and soil-health reports. Kagwe warned that farmers could waste money by using the wrong fertiliser on the wrong soil, even if it is delivered at a lower cost. He emphasized that "subsidy without a soil test is sympathy, not strategy."

Kagwe compared soil testing to medical diagnosis, urging farmers to determine their land's condition before deciding which inputs to apply. The KALRO is currently analyzing around 77,000 soil samples from 45 counties to create county-level soil fertility maps as part of a broader soil-mapping program. The government plans to make this soil data publicly available and connect it to the Kenya Integrated Agricultural Management Information System (KIAMIS) to ensure fertiliser support is tailored to specific soil requirements.

Kagwe also launched the National Soil Partnership, the National Soil Laboratory Network, and the national rollout of the Global Soil Doctors Programme to promote soil testing standards, train farmers on soil health, and enhance farmer-to-farmer knowledge sharing. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) reports that the Kenya programme is set to run from 2023 to 2027.

Kagwe also unveiled refurbished soil chemistry laboratories at KALRO, which will help expedite soil-testing results and reduce farmers' waiting time. He urged county governments to finance soil-testing services and make them more accessible to farmers, while also calling for increased use of lime in acidic areas and the restoration of organic matter in the soil.

Kagwe warned that the government would continue to crack down on counterfeit, expired, and substandard agricultural inputs, emphasizing that accurate soil recommendations would be ineffective without products containing the indicated ingredients.