Work with Molepse
Farmers, cooperatives, agro-dealers and research partners are welcome to get in touch with the Thika team.
About Molepse
A Kenyan start-up turning indigenous plants into post-harvest protection.
Our story
Molepse BioResources was founded by industrial chemist Donatus Njoroge while working at Mount Kenya University. Growing up among grain farmers in central Kenya, he saw first-hand how weevils could empty a store before the next harvest.
His master’s research in applied analytical chemistry asked a practical question: could compounds in locally growing weeds become a pesticide that is organic, harmless to people, and still strong enough to stop weevils?
- Research began around 2015; a first viable product followed within two years
- Market-ready formulations launched in 2019 after further refinement
- Today a team of chemists, formulators and field staff works from Thika, Kenya
Mission
To cut post-harvest grain losses for smallholder and commercial farmers with organic biopesticides they can actually afford.
Approach
We combine indigenous herbal crop-protection knowledge with laboratory analysis, formulation chemistry and, in later products, nanotechnology for longer, more even protection.
Where we work
Based in Thika Valley, Kenya, with a focus on East African maize and bean stores — and expansion planned into other major grain markets such as Tanzania and Nigeria.
Leadership
“I was looking for a solution that is organic in nature, that won’t affect human beings and at the same time a solution that will be effective.”
Donatus Njoroge is Founder and Chief Executive. He holds a master’s degree in applied analytical chemistry from Kenyatta University and developed Molepse as an agrochemical research project while at Mount Kenya University.
He is joined by Dr Mojisola Karigidi, a biochemist (PhD, University of Ibadan), and a wider team of about 13 people covering production, formulation, field execution, and sales.
How we work
From plant to store
1
Source
Identify insecticidal and medicinal plants long used in local crop protection.
2
Extract
Dry, mill and extract essential oils, then isolate the compounds that intoxicate and repel weevils.
3
Formulate
Blend oil and powder products — including nano-processed kits that last up to six months in the bag.
4
Protect
Farmers apply the product to fully dried grain in aerated stores, then keep it until the next season.