Tomato belongs to the family Solanaceae. It is one of the most important vegetables grown in Kenya. Its fruits are used fresh in salads or cooked as a vegetable, processed
into tomato paste (puree), tomato sauce, ketchup, juice and can also be sun dried. Tomato is rich in vitamins A and C and is gaining importance because of lycopene,
a food component known to reduce the incidence of prostate cancer. In 2014, vegetables contributed 31.8% to domestic horticulture and were planted
on an area of 280,541 ha (9% increase from 2013); producing 3.6 million tons and valued at KES 64.1 billion (HCD, 2015). Tomato was ranked as the 3rd most
important vegetable after kale and cabbage constituting between 18% to 20% of the vegetable value and area under production (HCD, 2015).