By Lyzzie Owade 

Less than 6 per cent of Kenya’s farmers have ever done a soil test, according to a survey by FarmBizAfrica, yet they can instantly reverse soil problems that cut yields to 1/8th of their best level, once they know what their soil is missing.

According to a recent assessment by the Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organisation (Kalro), there are seven laboratories offering soil tests open to all farmers.

The main private-sector provider used by large farms and exporters for soil testing is high-ticket provider Cropnuts. But with over 90 percent of farming in Kenya done by smallholders, two institutions, Kalro and the University of Nairobi (UoN), offer mass-access soil testing services that are low cost and open to all farmers.

The most basic NPK test, which also tests for soil acidity and carbon, is a designed to help farmers use the right fertiliser for their soils. It also helps them manage the acidity (pH) that repeated fertiliser applications can cause. 

This, alone, makes a step change difference for a farm, in that the wrong fertiliser and excessive acidity can halve a farm’s yields. 

From Kalro, an NPK test costs Sh650, while from UoN, it costs Sh1,500. Both institutions return the test results with instructions on what fertilisers the farmer needs to use to get the best yields from their soil.

All the Kalro and UoN labs also offer complete soil tests. These include tests for key nutrients such as Zinc, Copper, Manganese, Magnesium, Calcium, and Carbon.

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Any one of these can make a big difference to how well crops grow in a soil. Carbon gives a soil structure that allows it to retain water, absorb toxins and give plants access to their most critical nutrients.

Yet most of Kenya’s soils have around one quarter of the optimal levels of carbon (1-2% compared with 5-8%) meaning they retain moisture poorly, making droughts hit far sooner and more severely.

Similarly, something as simple as too little calcium in a soil can destroy an entire tomato crop with the condition blossom end rot.

Kalro provides the full soil test for Sh1,000 and UoN for Sh3,500, with both returning the results with instructions on remedies.

“In reality, these soil tests take a farmer from farming blind and hoping for the best to actively managing their land and getting three or four times bigger harvests,” said Jethro Tieman, CEO of FarmBizAfrica.

“The nutrients that crops really need from soils are easy to restore, cheaply and naturally: it only takes a test to show what is missing.”

Kalro is providing the tests from five labs, at the:

• Kalro Food Crop Research Centre, Kabete, Nairobi,

• Kalro Tea Research Institute, Kericho
• Kalro Coffee Research Station, Ruiru, Kiambu
• Kalro Food Crop Research Centre, Maguga, Kiambu, and
• Kalro Food Crop Research Centre,Alupe, Busia

Farmers need to contact the centres first for a sample sheet to send with their soil sample. They can get the sheet by email and can send their soil sample by courier, with services like G4S or Wells Fargo, or by matatu.

The soil sample needs to weigh around 500g and be taken from the top 0–30 cm of soil (the plough layer).

Once the lab gets the sample, KALRO contacts the farmer to confirm receipt and give payment instructions. All payments are processed via the e-Citizen platform using a Paybill number.

It takes about three weeks to conduct the test, then farmers can collect the results and instructions directly, or get them sent by email. 

Kalro can also provide tests for individual nutrients, with its full price list, as at October 2025, given below.

For more information on the Kalro tests, contact:

Email: cd.narl@kalro.org

Phone: 0711301517

At UoN, FarmBizAfrica spoke with Mr Mungai, a representative from the laboratory, who explained: 

“We have two types of soil testing: basic and complete test.Just package your soil sample and send it through any courier service or rider of your choice to our lab at the University of Nairobi. Once we receive the sample, we will provide our institutional bank account details for payment.”

To arrange for a soil test with UoN, contact the Soil Testing Lab directly and speak to 

John Mungai on: 0707041543

Kalro soil test prices, October 2025