Kenya Turns to Accredited Private Inspectors to Unblock Seed Potato Certification
The National Potato Council of Kenya, FIPS-Africa and regulator KEPHIS are accrediting private seed inspectors. The aim is to widen access to certified seed ahead of the World Potato Congress in Naivasha.
The National Potato Council of Kenya (NPCK) has presented a model for accelerating seed potato certification in the country. Under the model, certification relies on accredited private seed inspectors working alongside the national regulator.
NPCK described the initiative at the International Phytosanitary and Seed Quality Conference 2026, convened by the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) in Nairobi on 14–17 September. The council’s session was titled “Strengthening Seed Potato Certification in Kenya through Accredited Private Seed Inspectors.” According to NPCK, the programme is implemented by NPCK and FIPS-Africa in partnership with KEPHIS.
On 16 September, selected potato farmers also attended training on seed quality, seed production, quality assurance and inspection practices, NPCK said.
Weekdays. Unsubscribe in one click.
The conference theme was “Revitalizing Phytosanitary and Seed Systems for Climate Resilient and Sustainable Agriculture.” KEPHIS says 2026 is the first year its previously separate seed and phytosanitary conferences were merged into one event. The organiser expected around 350 participants from the public and private sectors.
Why private inspectors?
In Kenya, certified seed potato must pass field and post-harvest inspection by KEPHIS. Inspection capacity and cost have long been cited as reasons why most farmers still plant farm-saved seed. At a KEPHIS seed-inspector training in July 2025, NPCK noted that the aim was to reduce the cost of inspection fees and make certified seed more affordable to farmers. Accrediting private inspectors extends that logic: more trained people in the field, under the regulator’s rules.
Why it matters
Seed quality is the first lever of potato yield in East Africa, and Kenya will be in the global spotlight next month. The 13th World Potato Congress takes place in Naivasha on 26–30 October 2026, the first time the congress is held in sub-Saharan Africa. How Kenya scales certified seed will be one of the practical questions delegates bring home.
Photo: Potato farming in Kenya. Betwel chirchir / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
