About Keragita Farms

The name Keragita is derived from ekeragita — ‘tractor’ in the founder’s Ekegusii language — a nod to the machine that first broke the soil. Desmond Momanyi Mariita spent six years in various roles at the Co-operative Bank of Kenya, most recently in the Data Governance Department, then moved to Germany to study Cognitive Systems at the University of Potsdam — machine learning and artificial intelligence. The question became: where does this matter most?

The answer came from six acres in Gongoni Ward. The first season ended with a crop loss that changed the direction of the project — the full account is in the journal. That season made the case for data on the farm.

On the ground, operations are led by Zakaria, an experienced local farmer with deep knowledge of coastal agriculture. Desmond currently provides the capital, data strategy, and technology direction from Germany while Zakaria manages the daily reality of crops, livestock, and weather. The long-term plan is for Desmond to relocate to Kenya once the farm is fully established and profitable. Until then, the model works because the roles are clearly divided: Desmond brings the data thinking; Zakaria brings the farming. Neither works without the other.

Keragita’s vision extends beyond one farm. Starting a farm in Kenya is hard — not because the knowledge doesn’t exist, but because it’s scattered and rarely published with real numbers. The goal is an open record that others can learn from.