Uasin Gishu Launches Coffee Mkulima Portal to Digitise Seedling Tracking and Farmer Support

The County Government of Uasin Gishu County has launched a new digital platform aimed at modernising coffee farming and improving support services for farmers.

The platform, known as the Coffee Mkulima Portal, was developed by the county’s ICT department to digitise the tracking of coffee seedlings and enhance transparency in the county’s growing coffee sector.

The portal replaces manual record-keeping with a smart system that uses GPS technology to track coffee seedlings from the nursery stage to farmers and eventually to the field.

County officials say the system will improve accountability, efficiency and planning as the county continues to expand coffee farming.

Speaking during the launch, Uasin Gishu County deputy governor Evans Kapkea said the platform was designed to be practical, accessible and farmer-centred.

He noted that the system will provide farmers with important agricultural information, including soil-zone maps, planting records, rainfall risk alerts, pest and disease hotspot updates and market access routes through Geographic Information System (GIS) integration.

Kapkea also announced the rollout of a three-day training programme for farmers and agricultural extension officers to support adoption of the new system.

The training will be coordinated by sub-county administrators, ward administrators and ward agricultural officers to ensure farmers across the county are equipped with the skills needed to use the digital platform effectively.

Experts in the coffee sector have welcomed the move, noting that the platform will help reduce seedling losses and improve record-keeping in the distribution of planting materials.

A trainer from the Coffee Research Institute commended Jonathan Bii Chelilim for championing the use of technology to strengthen the coffee value chain in the region.

According to the trainer, the portal will also enable mapping of farmer locations to facilitate e-voucher support programmes and simplify monitoring and evaluation of coffee projects in the county.

The digital platform aligns with ongoing reforms in Kenya’s coffee sector under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, which aims to increase national coffee production from about 50,000 tonnes to 150,000 tonnes by 2029.

The reforms also seek to improve farmer incomes, enhance transparency in the coffee value chain and promote local value addition.

Several senior county officials attended the launch, including County Secretary Philip Meli, City Manager Elizeba Busienei and County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture Sam Kotut.

Also present were Chief Officer for ICT Abraham Kiptalam, Chief Officer for Finance Eliud Kipkorir, Chief Officer for Cooperatives Elphas Kessio, Chief Officer for Environment Mark Some and Chief Officer for Public Service Management Ruth Samoei.

County Directors Albert Tarus and Kipleting Mengich also attended the launch.

County officials said the digital system will play a key role in strengthening agricultural data management and improving service delivery to farmers as Uasin Gishu continues to expand its coffee farming programme.