Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS)

Today, we were honoured to have the 17th Agribusiness Trade Fair Guest of Honour PS, Dr. Kipronoh Ronoh Principal Secretary State Department for Crop Development at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development accompanied by the Uasin Gishu County Governor Hon. Jonathan Bii at the KEPHIS stand. They commended us for our significant efforts in eradicating fake seeds in the country. See you tomorrow at the University of Eldoret Sports Pavilion as we wrap up the impactful event. #17thAgribusinesstradefair #KEPHIS #Planthealth #Seedcertification #Laboratoryservices

The KEPHIS Culture Change Management Training for Board & Senior Management, held on 12-13th September 2024 at Serena Beach Resort, Mombasa, was attended by Board Chairman Hon. Joseph M’Eruaki, board members, and the management team led by MD Prof. Theophilus Mutui. Conducted by The Institute of Certified Secretaries the training aligns with the KEPHIS Strategic Plan 2023-2027, fostering a culture of teamwork, leadership, and adaptability. This supports KEPHIS' mission of ensuring plant health, promoting agriculture, and enhancing national food security, safe trade, and sustainable development.

Potatoes are a staple food for nearly 700 million people playing a key role in global food security. However, pests such as the Potato Cyst Nematode (PCN) and soft rot bacteria are harmful quarantine pests, causing significant yield losses, threatening both food security and trade. Managing PCN and soft rot bacteria remains a necessary action for protecting and enhancing potato production in Africa. To address this, the Plant Quarantine and Biosecurity Station (PQBS) at KEPHIS Muguga, which is also the COMESA reference lab for plant health, will host a 5-day training session from September 16th to 20th, 2024. This workshop aims to build the capacity of National Plant Protection Organizations in Eastern and Southern Africa, to detect and identify PCN and other emerging potato pests. This is part of our efforts to enhance potato production by mitigating pests and diseases. This training is part of the Standards of Trade Development Facility(STDF) project implemented under overall coordination by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FAO working in collaboration with the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International CABI ,International Potato Center (CIP), ICIPE - International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the National Plant Protection Organizations of 12 countries of Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan and Uganda in Eastern Africa sub-region and Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe Southern Africa sub-regions. #pestmitigation #potato #planthealth #KEPHIS

The European Union is one of the major markets for Kenya’s horticultural produce i.e. roses, carnations, gypsophila, French bean, peas, Asian vegetables, basil and avocadoes. Exports to this market have been faced with the challenge of quarantine pests being detected in exported consignments leading to interception of the produce and notification of non-compliance. The leading cause of interception of roses has been due to the presence of False Codling Moth - FCM (Thaumatotibia leucotreta). The Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) and the Kenya Flower Council (KFC) met during a workshop held on 3rd-5th September 2024 at Machakos County to review the Systems Approach Protocol for the management of FCM. The reviewed protocol shall be rolled out to the users who include KEPHIS Inspectors, Cutflower production farms and KFC compliance team. The implementation of this protocol shall contribute to the reduction of interceptions due to FCM when Kenya is exporting rose cutflowers to the European Union. KEPHIS and the cutflower industry appreciate the support received from the Kingdom of Netherlands which funded this workshop.

𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨 𝐄𝐥𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐭! Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) will be at the 17th Agri-business trade fair that will be taking place from the 12th to 14th of September 2024 at the University of Eldoret Sports Pavillion. We are thrilled to meet you as we showcase the KEPHIS manadate that includes, Plant Health,Seed Certification and Plant Variety Protection and Labaratory Services. Our team is on site karibuni nyote!

KEPHIS has completed a two-day training for plant inspectors on the False Codling Moth (FCM), a major pest threatening various crops. The training focused on building the capacity of inspectors in FCM management, covering greenhouse operations, quality control at packing houses, and handling non-compliance. A practical session on the FCM management protocol checklist was conducted to ensure inspectors are equipped to meet international market standards, such as those of the European Union(EU).This capacity-building effort is key to maintaining compliance with the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and safeguarding Kenya’s agricultural exports in global markets. #PlantHealth #SafeTrade #FCM #CapacityBuilding #IPPC

Members of the KEPHIS Board, led by Chairman Hon. Joseph M’eruaki, and Senior Management visits the Mombasa office to strengthen cooperation throughout the region and ensure that agricultural standards are being followed. This visit is important to enhance regional collaboration, maintaining high-quality practices, and supporting local stakeholders

We are proud to have triumphed at the Mombasa Show 🏆" We bagged 5 awards! 🥇🥇🥈🥈🥉 Kudos to our Mombasa team! Thank you to everyone who has visited the KEPHIS stand at Mukomani. If you haven't usiachwe nyuma, see you tomorrow!

#Day2 of the Mombasa Show! KEPHIS TUPO SITE! We will be there tomorrow to Sunday, feel free to visit us for any enquiry. Our staff will be happy to serve you.

We are delighted to hear your feedback. Indeed team effort is key in ensuring Kenya’s Agriculture is safeguarded. #phytosanitarymeasures #Planthealth #declareallplantmaterials