Growing Sweet Potato in Kakamega

Soil suitability analysis based on Kakamega's nutrient profile

Kakamega County is well suited to Sweet Potato, scoring 88/100 on ShambaIQ's soil-match model. Local soils average pH 5.63 — slightly acidic to near-neutral and inside the 4.5–7 band Sweet Potato prefers, so no lime is usually required. The main gap is potassium — measured at N 1.01 g/kg, P 14 mg/kg, K 147 mg/kg against this crop's low/medium/high demand — so the fertilizer plan below prioritises closing that deficit. Sweet Potato prefers sandy loam soils, while Kakamega is largely clay loam, so drainage and organic-matter management matter more here. On ShambaIQ's soil-match model, Sweet Potato is the #3 soil match of the 106 crops we assess for Kakamega County. At current prices (about KES 18/kg) and a typical 5,000 kg/acre yield, a well-managed Sweet Potato crop here can gross roughly KES 90,000 per acre.