INTERNATIONAL YOUTH DAY – Youth redefining farming using flight technology
Dronector Limited, a Nairobi-based startup is helping farmers boost productivity, lower costs, and manage resources with greater precision through its cutting-edge drone technology.
Founded in 2017 by Kevin Githinji, Dronector began out of passion evolving into a full-fledged drone company and training academy. It offers drones for a range of uses including film, photography, and live event coverage.
However, it’s in agriculture that its impact is proving most transformative. “Our goal is to build Kenya’s drone ecosystem locally and make advanced tech accessible to farmers. We want to build solutions that work for Kenya not just import what others have made,” says Githinji.
The company has deployed drone tech in agriculture and environmental conservation. Its spraying drones can carry up to 30 litres of load and cover 1,000 acres daily. The agriculture drones use multispectral sensors to identify crop stress, reduce chemical use, and boost yields. In dry regions, Dronector also runs seed-ball dispensing operations to aid in afforestation.
Kevin noted that drones are a viable option for efficient farming because they cut back on labour costs and apply pesticides more effectively. “In farming, time is money and every minute counts. Drones help farmers move faster, cut costs, and reduce crop loss. It boosts efficiency and ultimately improves profit margins.”
Dronector’s growth is powered by Equity Bank, which took a chance on Kevin in 2020, when he opened his business account at just 19 years old. Since then, the bank has been supportive with various facilities like unsecured credit, overdraft facilities, and vital non-financial support such as sponsorships, marketing exposure, and investor networking. “Equity believed in us before the world did,” Kevin says. “They gave us working capital without collateral, which is rare for startups and opened doors we couldn’t open alone.”
Dronector’s track record now speaks for itself undertaking major filming projects with brands like Red Bull. Githinji cites a record-setting drone operation for a local telecommunication company in Voi, where stringing a fibre optic cabling was completed in under two hours, a task that typically takes weeks.
But the Kenya drone sector isn’t without challenges. Kevin cites restrictive aviation policies that require innovators to replicate internationally proven solutions before they can test new ideas locally. “That mindset holds us back,” he says. “We need regulation that supports innovation not just duplication.”
Dronector is a testament of how youth-led innovation and technology is transforming agriculture. Proving that local innovation backed by the right suppport can be a gamechanger. The company showcased its services at the Equity tent at an exhibition run during the Micro Small and Medium Enterprises MSME Day 2025 held at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, KICD in Nairobi.
