Leila Kamene

Kenyan tech pioneer developing AI solutions for agricultural sustainability

Leila Kamene (b. 1990) is a Kenyan computer scientist whose artificial intelligence innovations are transforming smallholder farming in East Africa. Her Nairobi-based startup AgriWise AI, launched in 2017, uses machine learning to predict crop yields and pest outbreaks with 92% accuracy. This service now serves 350,000 farmers across seven countries, increasing average incomes by 40%.

Kamene's Farmer's Friend app (available on Google Play and Apple Store) provides real-time market prices, weather forecasts, and soil health analysis through a simple SMS interface. Her 2020 breakthrough, the PestEye drone system, uses computer vision to identify crop diseases before visible symptoms appear. This technology reduced crop loss by 65% in pilot regions.

A Stanford University distinguished fellow, Kamene co-authored the 2021 UN FAO report "AI in Agriculture: Ethical Considerations for Developing Regions". Her TEDx talk "Feeding Africa with Algorithms" (YouTube) has been translated into 15 African languages. In 2022, she partnered with McKinsey to create the African AgriTech Index, a first-of-its-kind sustainability benchmarking tool.

Her recent work focuses on blockchain-based supply chains to eliminate middlemen exploitation. The ChainFarm platform, launched in 2023, has already connected 12,000 farmers directly to export markets. Kamene's memoir 《Code for the Soil》 (2023) details her journey from rural Kenya to tech innovator. Recognized as "Africa's Most Influential Young Innovator" by Forbes in 2023, her work is cited in MIT's Journal of Sustainable Development.