Kisii county livestock farmers now use ANIWISE, an AI app founded by a 21 year old. It has 90% accuracy on animal disease diagnosis, record keeping, feeding guidelines and extension services.
Kenya is undergoing a quiet but significant shift in how agriculture is practiced, driven by a new wave of digital innovation and policy reform. The Draft Kenya Agricultural Data, Information and Digital Policy (2026) seeks to integrate technology, data, and unified platforms into everyday farming. Building on earlier strategies such as the Disruptive Agricultural Technologies (DAT) framework, the policy is signaling a move toward smarter, more connected agricultural systems designed to support smallholder farmers facing climate and market pressures.
With plans to establish a centralized Agricultural Digital Information Centre, expand e-extension services, and strengthen collaboration between national and county governments, the policy creates fertile ground for innovations like AI-powered livestock diagnostics.
For years, farmers in Kisii county have relied on traditional knowledge, guesswork, and delayed veterinary interventions. Access to extension services remains limited, while the cost and distance to veterinary officers continue to hinder timely response. The result is a cycle of preventable losses, reduced productivity, and economic strain.
It is within this gap that a new wave of youth-led innovation is emerging, offering a digital solution to an age-old problem. At the center of this transformation is Aniwise, an AI-powered livestock management application designed to bring real-time diagnosis and farm intelligence directly to farmers’ phones.
According to founder Polycarp Orenda, 21, a student of Animal Science and Technology at Kisii University, who visited the State Department of Agriculture in Kisii, officials described the app as highly effective and well-suited for enhancing extension services.
For him, Aniwise allows farmers to scan animals, receive instant diagnosis with up to 90 per cent accuracy based on internal validation using labeled datasets and continuous feedback collected from real-world usage, where model predictions are compared against known animal health conditions and symptom patterns through iterative testing and refinement.
“A farmer simply takes a photo, uploads it, and the system analyses and gives the problem and solution in seconds,” Orenda explains, saying It also keeps records, tracks recurring illnesses, and connects farmers to professionals through livestream support.
He adds that the app is already gaining traction, with about 500 new users daily based on metrics derived from in-app analytics, including daily active users (DAU), session frequency, and overall engagement over time. This, he says, ensures the figures reflect consistent real usage rather than just total downloads, as farmers continue to reduce losses and improve productivity.
Beyond diagnosis, Orenda says Aniwise is designed as an all-in-one livestock management tool. Everything a farmer needs is in one place record keeping, financial tracking, disease management and learning resources.
“We want farmers to move from reactive farming to informed decision-making. The app builds a digital history for each animal, helping farmers detect patterns and prevent recurring diseases.
For Orenda, the app is entering a growing but competitive digital livestock ecosystem, positioning itself as a more accessible and farmer-centric solution. While it has not yet been widely rolled out beyond Kenya, its model draws clear comparisons with existing tools across Africa.
According to him, collaboration with government and agricultural stakeholders will be key to scaling the innovation. He says, if county extension officers and the Ministry of Agriculture support awareness, adoption will grow rapidly.
Luckily, he says AI Smart Animal Care has already gained recognition in key innovation platforms. Its first major pitching opportunity was at the Western Region Research and Innovation Consortium (WRRIC), a student-led initiative that brings together undergraduate researchers from various universities to showcase their innovations. During the competition, AniWise emerged first in the Agri-tech and Climate-Resilient Food Systems sub-theme.
For him, the innovation also stood out at the Kisii University Career Exposure and Innovations Competition 2025, where it was named the overall best innovation.
“It was praised for its strong focus on addressing youth unemployment, promoting green career opportunities, and supporting climate-smart livestock production through technology-driven solutions.” He says.
For Alex Botangi, a livestock farmer and AniWise beneficiary, managing animal health was once a frustrating guessing game. Botangi says he used to rely on traditional methods which sometimes made him administer the wrong treatment or vaccine.
That uncertainty, he recalls, often led to losses and low productivity. Since adopting Aniwise, Botangi says things have changed significantly.
“Now, I just scan the animal using the app, and it gives me information about the disease and what action to take,” he says, adding he follows the feedback and treats the animal correctly in a good time.
The impact, he adds, is already visible on his farm. Milk production has improved because he now feeds his animals properly and manages their health better. The app, he says guides him on the right feeding ratios and stages, which increases weight gain and overall output
Beyond treatment, Botangi adds, the app gives feeding guidelines based on the age and stage of the animal, and it keeps records so that one can track progress,
“It is also interactive, you learn new things about livestock even when you are just going through it.”
For Davis Ogega, an Aniwise developer, the innovation goes beyond solving immediate farm-level challenges to building a data-driven livestock ecosystem. Right now he says, Aniwise helps individual farmers make faster and more accurate decisions, but the bigger vision is scaling it into a system that connects the entire livestock sector.
According to him, the platform could transform how animal health is managed and Veterinary officers will be able to review cases remotely instead of traveling long distances, and
For farmers, he says, the shift is equally significant. “It stops being just a tool and becomes a support system that learns continuously from thousands of farms.”
According to Dr Lydia Kitonga, Chair of the Agricultural Sciences Department at Kisii University, such innovations reflect a timely shift in Africa’s agricultural landscape.
“Aniwise is on time for the season we are in. It signals the rise of digital smart agriculture where technology, especially AI, is becoming a core farming tool rather than an option,” she says.
For Kitonga the platform highlights the democratization of expertise. Farmers no longer have to depend entirely on scarce professionals. AI is bringing knowledge directly to them, making farming more informed and accessible.
She adds that this marks a transition toward digital-first agriculture, where mobile tools and data-driven systems become standard in everyday farming practices.
“This is a clear example of youth-led transformation. It also pushes institutions to adopt more practice-oriented education that integrates technology and entrepreneurship,” she says adding such innovations point to a more resilient, sustainable, and future-ready agricultural system in Africa.”
According to Dr Gerald Manyeki, Director of the Kisii County Veterinary Services Department, animal movement remains a key risk factor. Animals move across borders without proper control, which introduces transboundary diseases into the county. Despite these challenges, he notes that the county has put in place vaccination programs, surveillance, and rapid response mechanisms to contain outbreaks.
He adds that embracing technology is critical to improving efficiency and Innovations like Aniwise allow farmers and vets to access information remotely and respond faster.
“With better data collection and tools like digital animal identification, we can strengthen traceability and improve overall livestock management.” He notes.
Dr Manyeki adds that although technology can strengthen surveillance and response, it must complement not replace existing veterinary systems, including field inspections, vaccination programs, and professional expertise.
This story was produced with support from the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) and The Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) Knowledge Management Project.