As every year, AKI employees travelled to Kenya to visit our partner institution Bukura Agricultural College and select the next cohort of interns.
More than 300 students applied for the internship program. Even though the number of Kenyan participants will be raised to 80 next year and Bukura had already made a pre-selection, four days of intensive interviews lay ahead. The selected interns then received first insights, advice and practical tips for preparing for their time in Germany – both from the AKI team and from former participants.

In addition to the selection interviews, there was time for discussions with coordinators and German teachers regarding further development and adjustments to the program, as well as for a tour of the college. We were also delighted to unexpectedly meet many former interns again: They had returned to Bukura to collect their graduation certificates and organized a thank-you ceremony for the coordinators, language teachers and AKI. This appreciation meant a lot to us!

The stay in Kenya was accompanied by further appointments in Nairobi and Kakamega, including meetings with the German Embassy, a potential new partner university (Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology), as well as the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises. These exchanges may open new opportunities for cooperation in the future – including for AKI alumni. A particular highlight for us was the chance to meet former AKI Managing Director Monika Erath, who headed the AHK Nairobi until the end of November 2025.

With the selection of the upcoming intern cohort now completed, we are looking forward to welcoming many host farms willing to integrate Kenyan trainees into their operations in the coming year. If you are interested in participating in the program or would like more information, please feel free to contact our program coordinators at any time by phone or email.

Finally, we would like to express our sincere thanks to our sponsors and supporters who make this internship program possible – in particular the Ministry of Food, Rural Areas and Consumer Protection Baden-Württemberg  and the Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank.