New agritech lab to equip students with new skills

Many companies and industries are compelled to invest more resources in retraining graduates from universities, technical and vocational education and training (TVETs), polytechnics, and colleges before they can become fully productive, particularly in agriculture-related sectors.

Private sector players are concerned that, although Kenyan institutions are producing bright and technically smart students, many lack practical experience, soft skills and hands-on industry exposure. Elgon Kenya Managing Director Dr Bimal Kantaria emphasised the need to go beyond theory to equip students with the required skills demanded by today’s job market.

It is against this backdrop that the Kantaria Agricultural Technology and Innovation Centre (KATIC), established through collaboration of the University of Nairobi and Elgon Kenya Ltd at the Upper Kabete campus, has been set to bridge the gap between industry (agriculture, equipment and innovation), academia (research and innovation) and production (farmer).

Agricultural drones

It seeks to ensure that students graduate with not only knowledge but also the right skills for the right jobs.

“What we’re doing at KATIC is bridging the gap between academic knowledge and real-world industry needs. We’re bringing cutting-edge technology like agricultural drones into universities to expose students to what’s actually happening on the ground today,” said Dr Kantaria.

He spoke during the Agricultural Students Industrial Linkage Workshop 2025, under the theme, ‘Strengthening Partnerships Between Academia and Industry to Provide Agricultural Students with Real-World Experience and Career Opportunities.’

Key stakeholders, including students, agricultural professionals, policymakers, and development partners, attended to explore effective mentorship models, internship structures, and industry-aligned training initiatives. Industry players want to be involved in reforming Kenya’s curriculum- shaping training programmes and academic content-since they are best positioned to know the current labour market.

“We’re encouraging government to make the curriculum more dynamic and allow private sector players to contribute. This collaboration can create much stronger alignment between what is taught and what is required in the workplace,” they said. The forum also drew comparisons with successful education-industry models globally, especially, United States, where private sector-driven curriculum and endowments drive university innovations.

The forum also drew comparisons with successful education-industry models globally, especially, United States, where private sector-driven curriculum and endowments drive university innovations.

Dr Kantaria explained: “Today, floriculture farms need women who can make ready-made bouquets, but that skill is not taught in most TVETs. We’ve agreed with the Ministry of Education and the PS to increase the number of agriculture-based TVETs to directly serve sectors like floriculture, tea, and coffee.”

The event brought together students pursuing agriculture-related courses from Universities across the country, where they were introduced to drones as cutting-edge technology revolutionising agriculture through various activities such as crop monitoring, spraying pesticides, fertiliser application, soil analysis and seed planting.

The centre features demonstration plots for various agricultural value chains under research, including maize and indigenous vegetables.

President, Kenya Agricultural Students Association (KASA) Arthur Muiruri termed the event a success and an eye opener.

“It is allowing us to hear directly from employers about what they truly value. The message that stood out is that employers are looking for problem solvers, not just job seekers,” he says.

Muiruri, who is pursuing Master of Science in Climate Smart Agriculture at Murang’a University of Technology, said they plan to mainstream this mindset among students from all 50 member universities.