The Tale of Two Tubers: How Markies and Shangi Are Reshaping Kenya’s Potato Future

By Elizabeth Wanjiku

In Kenya’s highlands, where potatoes rival maize as the second-most important staple, two varieties dominate the conversation—and the market. One is a homegrown hustler, the other a foreign-bred strategist. Together, they’ve carved a potato economy worth over KES 50 billion a year, feeding millions and anchoring a complex value chain.

This is the tale of Shangi and Markies, two very different tubers that mirror the tensions of Kenya’s agricultural economy: speed versus precision, informality versus structure, survival versus prosperity.

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Shangi: The Quick-Cash King

If potatoes had personalities, Shangi would be the street-smart hustler of Kenya’s fresh markets. With a market share of 70–80%, it reigns supreme despite glaring weaknesses. Farmers know it is not the highest-yielding, nor the best for storage or processing. But they also know something more important: Shangi pays the bills—fast.

Two traits explain its dominance:

• Early maturity: Shangi is ready in just 75–90 days, allowing up to three harvests a year.
• Short dormancy: Within 3–4 weeks, the tuber sprouts again, perfect for replanting without expensive certified seed.

For smallholder farmers—who account for more than 90% of Kenya’s potato production—these traits are a lifeline. Shangi offers predictable cash flow, letting families cover school fees, medical bills, and household needs without waiting months for returns.

But speed has a price. Shangi yields about 27 tons per hectare, far below the potential of modern varieties. Its susceptibility to Late Blight, a devastating fungal disease, forces farmers into costly fungicide cycles that erode margins. And for industrial processors, Shangi is almost useless: its deep eyes waste too much during peeling, and its inconsistent chemistry produces fries that brown unpredictably.

Still, Shangi thrives in the informal economy, where brokers value volume and speed. For now, it remains the potato of the people.

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Markies: The Processor’s Darling

In sharp contrast, Markies plays in a different league. Introduced from Dutch breeding programs in 2015, it was designed for one purpose: French fries and crisps. Today, it is Kenya’s undisputed leader in the formal processing sector, the variety behind chips in outlets like KFC.

Processors love Markies for four reasons:

1. High dry matter (21.5–23%) → crispy fries that soak up less oil.
2. Low reducing sugars → golden color without the risk of browning.
3. Shallow eyes and uniform shape → minimal peeling losses, maximum efficiency.
4. Long dormancy (3+ months) → excellent storage, ensuring year-round supply.

The economics are transformative. While Shangi fetches KES 6 per kilo in open markets, farmers under contract for Markies can earn up to KES 40 per kilo. Yields are also superior: 15–20 tons per acre, compared to the national average of 7–10. One farmer’s case study is illustrative—his income jumped from KES 4,800 per acre with Shangi to KES 440,000 per acre with Markies under contract farming.

The catch? Markies demands structure. Farmers need access to certified seed, storage facilities, and contracts with processors. That makes it less accessible to smallholders who rely on informal systems. Seed is costly (KES 4,150 per 50kg bag), and Kenya’s cold chain and processing infrastructure remain limited.

Still, Markies is strategically vital. In January 2022, when a shortage of imported fries forced KFC to halt potato sales, the crisis spotlighted Kenya’s dependence on imports—and Markies as the variety best suited to fill that gap.

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Wanjiku: The Contender

Between the extremes of Shangi and Markies lies Wanjiku, a locally bred variety released by KALRO in 2016. With yields exceeding 40 tons per hectare and resistance to major diseases, Wanjiku promises higher productivity with fewer chemical inputs.

But it carries a different problem: long dormancy. Farmers can’t replant it immediately after harvest; they must wait three to four months, or store it. For those living hand-to-mouth, that delay is unacceptable. Without widespread on-farm storage, Wanjiku remains a variety of potential rather than dominance.

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The Bifurcated Future

Kenya’s potato sector is thus locked into a dual reality:

• Shangi dominates the informal market but traps farmers in low-yield, chemically intensive cycles.
• Markies anchors the formal processing system but is held back by seed costs and infrastructure gaps.
• Wanjiku and others offer hope but face adoption barriers tied to storage and cash-flow cycles.

Breaking this deadlock will require targeted innovation and investment, not wholesale replacement.

One promising approach is the development of a biotech-enhanced Shangi—a “Shangi 2.0” engineered with disease resistance. Researchers estimate it could deliver KES 845.9 million in annual benefits by raising yields and cutting fungicide costs, while keeping the speed and short dormancy that farmers depend on.

Meanwhile, scaling up processing capacity and cold storage would unlock the full value of Markies, stabilizing supply for Kenya’s fast-growing fast-food industry.

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Toward a Potato Republic

The future of Kenya’s potato sector isn’t about choosing one variety over another. It’s about building a potato republic—a diversified system where each tuber has its place.

• Shangi, improved through biotechnology, continues to serve the fresh market.
• Markies powers a structured, high-value processing industry.
• New varieties like Wanjiku create resilience and stabilize prices through long dormancy and disease resistance.

With the right balance of scientific innovation and public-private investment, Kenya’s potato farmers could move beyond the survival-versus-prosperity dilemma. Instead of a divided market, the sector could become a resilient, diversified engine of food security, farmer income, and industrial growth.

The humble potato—whether in a Nairobi market stall or a fast-food fryer—may well be Kenya’s next big story of transformation.