At least 1000 delegates from 60 countries across the world are expected to gather in Naivasha for the 13th World Potato Congress (WPC 2026) marking the first time for the event to be hosted in Sub Saharan Africa.
The congress, scheduled for October 26–30, this year, will see delegates transitioning from conference sessions to field visits, including high-tech seed propagation sites at FreshCrop, processing facilities at Sereni Fries and interactive Farmer Field Days designed to transfer global technologies directly to local smallholders.
The summit marks the first time in the organization’s 30-year history that the World Potato Congress will be hosted in Sub-Saharan Africa.
A delegation led by Dr. Peter VanderZaag, President of the World Potato Congress Inc., alongside leadership from the National Potato Council of Kenya (NPCK) and local agribusiness partner FreshCrop Limited held discussions with the Nakuru County leadership to explore areas of partnership to ensure the event’s success.
The discussions centred on the coordination, logistical alignment and infrastructure readiness to support the global event that addresses seed technology, climate-smart farming and market access for the potato value chain.
In his remarks Deputy Governor Dr David Kones affirmed the county’s full commitment to the event, emphasizing Nakuru’s position as a premier agricultural hub and the leading potato producer in the country with a 15 percent share of the national production.
The DG noted that the event will offer a prime platform to showcase Nakuru’s agribusiness innovations and secure international investment for the local economy as well as benefitting local farmers with knowledge transfer.
He further said that the congress will focus on advancing the role of potatoes in global food systems, climate-smart agriculture, and inclusive economic growth.
Nakuru is one of the leading potato-producing counties in Kenya accounting for a huge slice of the country’s national yield. The region’s high-altitude areas and rich volcanic soils provide an ideal environment for growing popular varieties like Shangi, Kenya Mpya and Unica.
Currently, the County boasts of over 20,000 potato farmers with annual harvests of over 160,000 tonnes per annum.
Dr Kones told the delegation that the Kihika administration would continue to engage partners who will not only help farmers acquire new markets but will also help improve the local produce and ensure better prices.
The deputy governor added that the county government will continue to focus on the development of agriculture and the creation of new opportunities for local farmers adding that its leadership at the devolved unit was supporting activities aligned to climate-smart innovations to ensure that farmers adopt climate-smart agriculture practices and technologies which are geared towards cushioning them against the challenges they are facing.
Dr. VanderZaag noted that, the county will feature prominently in the event’s technical tours, with delegates transitioning from conference sessions to field visits, including high-tech seed propagation sites at FreshCrop, processing facilities at Sereni Fries and interactive Farmer Field Days designed to transfer global technologies directly to local smallholders.
The World Potato Congress Inc. is a non-profit organization supported by a group of volunteer directors representing potato jurisdictions around the world. Congress Events are hosted in partnership with local host committees.
The Congress program will feature plenary sessions, thematic workshops, and panel discussions focused on sustainable agriculture, food security, innovative practices, and strengthening the potato value chain.
Attendees can also look forward to pre-conference networking events and post-congress technical tours, including visits to leading potato farms, research centers and processing facilities. These activities will provide valuable insights into Kenya’s advancements in potato production and the broader potential for industry growth in the region.
Among the issues on the table are Global potato production and trade, policy and regulation, potato variety development and seed production systems.
Other issues that will be addressed are disease and pest management, post-harvest management and value addition, potato technologies, innovations, mechanization, climate-smart approaches and big data utilization.
The deliberations were also attended by Nakuru County officials led by CECM for Agriculture Leonard Bor, Chief Officer Agriculture, Margaret Kinyanjui, Chief Officer External Resource Mobilization Dr. Victor Achoka, Christopher Gasperi – Founder & CEO at FreshCrop Limited among others.
By Jane Ngugi
