KALRO Kabete formerly known as the National Agricultural Research Laboratories (NARL) started around 1900 as Scott Laboratory and the first agricultural experimental station in Kenya. Many people still call it NARL because of its long association with soil testing and crop protection diagnostics. In KALRO, it is among the seven (7) Research Centres of the Food Crops Research Institute (FCRI). KALRO Kabete occupies approximately 25 ha of land with transect point (latitude 01° 15’ S and longitude 36° 41’ E) at an altitude of 1740 m above sea-level. The annual mean rainfall and temperature are about 980 mm and 23°C, respectively, while the soils are clay loam Humic Nitisols with the pH ranging from 4.5 to 7.0. In the initial years, the Centre tested various crops, such as wheat, coffee, tobacco, and sisal before other stations were set up in suitable areas. With time, KALRO Kabete directed its activities at analysis of soil, plant tissues, water and fertilizer, crop protection research and associated services

Mandate
Kabete Centre has the national mandate to conduct research and provide referral centre knowledge, information, technologies, innovations and services on natural resource management and crop protection. To discharge this mandate, the Centre is organised into seven (7) Sections