Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service

Also known as: KEPHIS

KEPHIS — seed certification and agricultural phytosanitary authority, warning against counterfeit seeds and setting export requirements.

2026-04-292026-11-06

News reports

Order a long-term news report on Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service

Every mention in the Kenyan press over the period you choose, compiled as a PDF or Word document.

In coverage

Verbatim sentences from the source article.

November 2026
5 NovCapital News
… The schemes allegedly targeted include those associated with Ernst & Young, Swissport, the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), Nestlé, Cadbury and Nokia. …
DPP Charges Couple With 41 Counts in Multi-Million-Shilling Pension Fraud
5 NovThe Standard
… The Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) said dried chillies from Kenya had been cleared for export, subject to China’s phytosanitary, food safety and quality requirements. …
Kenyan dried chillies cleared for China market
October 2026
27 OctThe Standard
… Other interventions include expanding access to certified planting material, strengthening seed inspection and certification through the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), and improving storage infrastructure to reduce post-harvest losses. …
Kagwe courts investors to unlock idle public land
September 2026
26 SeptThe Standard
… The seed is weighed and records checked before the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service inspects the lots. …
Wheat and chaff: Kenya's wheat problem goes beyond food
18 SeptCapital News
… xena said CIMMYT’s work focuses on developing climate-resilient maize varieties, addressing destructive crop diseases and pests, and strengthening agricultural research infrastructure in partnership with institutions including KALRO and the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service …
Maize Experts Urge Farmers to Plant Region-Specific Varieties Ahead of El Niño Rains
August 2026
3 AugThe Standard
… We are working on support measures, including subsidies,” Rono said after a strategy meeting at Kenya Seed Company headquarters in Kitale on July 23.The PS, accompanied by members of the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Agriculture and officials from KEPHIS, AFA, FAO, …
Farmers told to plant short season crops ahead of El Nino rains
July 2026
25 JulThe Standard
… requently found with multiple pesticide residues, underscoring the need for closer surveillance and enforcement of food safety standards.In response, the Ministry of Health said it would work with the Pest Control Products Board (PCPB), the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service …
Ministry to tighten food safety after study detects pesticide residues in vegetables
June 2026
4 JunCitizen Digital
… The court has been told that applications are subjected to risk assessments by the NBA and reviewed by agencies including the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), the Kenya Wi …
Gov't defends Kenya’s GMO approval process, says it meets global standards
May 2026
15 MayThe Standard
Audio By VocalizeKenyan farmers risk losing up to half of their expected harvest due to counterfeit and uncertified seed, warns the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), raising concerns about the growing threat posed by fake farm inputs to food security. …
Farmers risk losing half their harvest, agency warns
April 2026
29 AprThe Standard
… In March last year, port stakeholders, including the Shippers Council of Eastern Africa (SCEA) and Kenya Ships Agents Association (KSAA) protested when Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis) introduced Sh2,000 for vessel inspection and Sh375 per container cleaning at th …
Port users decry increased levies by state agencies

Society

Couple charged with 41 counts in pension fraud scheme

The News

The Director of Public Prosecutions has charged Alex Nalwenje and Esther Kamande with 41 counts over an alleged multi-million-shilling pension fraud scheme targeting pension schemes linked to companies including Ernst & Young, Swissport, KEBS, KEPHIS, Nestlé, Cadbury and Nokia. The pair allegedly worked with others to fraudulently introduce names into payrolls to obtain irregular retirement and related benefit payments.

5 November 2026 · Capital News →

Yesterday

Couple charged with 41 counts in pension fraud scheme
The Director of Public Prosecutions has charged Alex Nalwenje and Esther Kamande with 41 counts over an alleged multi-million-shilling pension fraud scheme targeting pension schemes linked to companies including Ernst & Young, Swissport, KEBS, KEPHIS, Nestlé, Cadbury and Nokia. The pair allegedly worked with others to fraudulently introduce names into payrolls to obtain irregular retirement and related benefit payments.
5 November 2026 · Capital News →
Kenya cleared to export dried chillies to China market
Kenya's dried chillies have been approved for export to China, subject to phytosanitary, food safety and quality requirements. The approval comes as Kenya diversifies agricultural exports and seeks to benefit from China's zero-tariff policy for African countries, though commercial exports will begin only after farms, processing plants and packing facilities meet requirements set by both countries.
5 November 2026 · The Standard →

Tuesday 27 October

Kagwe calls for potato processing investments to reduce imports
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has urged investors to establish potato processing factories and commercialise idle public land to strengthen local production, noting that local output currently meets only about 40 per cent of demand for potato products. Speaking at the opening of the 13th World Potato Congress in Nairobi, Kagwe said expanding local processing would create employment and improve farmer incomes.
27 October 2026 · The Standard →

Saturday 26 September

Kenya's wheat imports surge, domestic production falls sharply
Domestic wheat production fell 18.2 per cent to 254,900 tonnes in 2025 while imports reached 2.24 million tonnes, accounting for 89.8 per cent of Kenya's total wheat supply. The growing import dependence reflects climate stress, crop diseases, shrinking farmland and farming economics, with implications for food security and nutrition since wheat flour is used for food fortification.
26 September 2026 · The Standard →

Friday 18 September

Maize experts urge region-specific varieties ahead of El Niño rains
Maize seed experts have urged farmers to select and plant varieties suited to their local climatic conditions as Kenya prepares for expected El Niño rains, noting that planting the right varieties would help boost food production and strengthen food security following recent crop failures due to drought.
18 September 2026 · Capital News →

Monday 3 August

Ministry encourages climate-smart farming ahead El Nino rains
The Ministry of Environment has launched a programme to equip farmers with climate-smart farming skills and is urging them to plant short-season crops to take advantage of anticipated El Nino rains and mitigate losses from the failed maize season caused by prolonged drought.
3 August 2026 · The Standard →

Saturday 25 July

Ministry tightens food safety after pesticide residues found in vegetables
A study by the Kenya Organic Agriculture Network, University of Nairobi, and SGS Kenya Laboratories found detectable pesticide residues in most vegetable samples from Nairobi and Nakuru markets, particularly in kale and spinach. The Ministry of Health plans to strengthen surveillance and testing of fresh produce across the country, while noting that the presence of detectable residues does not pose immediate health danger, though long-term cumulative exposure is a concern.
25 July 2026 · The Standard →

Thursday 4 June

Kenya's GMO approval process meets global standards, NBA tells court
The National Biosafety Authority has defended Kenya's legal and regulatory framework for genetically modified organisms in a High Court reply, stating the country has established comprehensive safeguards anchored on international agreements including the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (ratified in 2003), national legislation, and detailed regulatory guidelines developed over the years.
4 June 2026 · Citizen Digital →

Friday 15 May

Counterfeit seed risks cutting Kenyan harvests by half
KEPHIS warns that counterfeit and uncertified seed poses a growing threat to food security, with farmers potentially losing up to half their harvest. KEPHIS and seed companies are promoting scratch-code verification systems to help farmers authenticate seeds before planting and conducting enforcement operations against fake dealers.
15 May 2026 · The Standard →

Wednesday 29 April

Port users oppose new nuclear screening levies at Mombasa
Port stakeholders at Mombasa have raised concerns over increased levies by government agencies, particularly a new nuclear regulatory screening requirement from KNRA that will require containerised cargo to pass through radiation monitors. The move, originally set for May 2024 but deferred to July 2026, has prompted complaints from port users about additional costs and potential delays to cargo clearance.
29 April 2026 · The Standard →