Abstract Legumes play an important role in farming systems in East Africa. Legumes are not only a source of food and fodder but also play a key role in improving soil fertility. As a result of the increasing pressure on land, the tradi-tional fallow periods needed for land regeneration have shortened. Similarly, most farmers in the region do not use fertilizer. As a result of this, the soil fertility is low and declining. Whereas the nutrient defi ciencies can be resolved by use of inor-ganic fertilizers, most smallholder farmers are poor hence cannot afford to pur-chase fertilizers. In other instances fertilizer is not accessible due to poor infrastructure. The use of farm yard manure on the other hand is limited since most farmers do not have livestock and where the manure is available, it is of poor qual-ity. The growing of legumes which fi x nitrogen and improve other soil properties emerges as a potential solution to the soil fertility problem among the smallholder farmers. Research in the region has identifi ed a wide range of legumes that can be incorporated in the cropping systems. These include grain and herbaceous legumeeither grown in rotation or together with cereals. The legumes however, vary in their rate of growth, susceptibility to diseases and pest, adaptability to given agro-ecological conditions, ability to fi x nitrogen and general acceptance by the farmers. Althugh the benefi ts of legumes are recognized and promoted in many parts of the world,, their use in East Africa is still low. This can be attributed to among other reasons diminishing land holdings, low and declining soil fertility, unavailability of improved germplasm, low and lack of proper agronomic knowledge on legume production, pest and diseases, poorly developed input-output markets among oth-ers. Strategies to increase legume production should aim at identifying niches for these legumes in both space and time; assessing their ability to fi x N under on-farm conditions and to demonstrate immediate benefi ts such as substantial increase of food crops, fodder and wood products and cash to the farm. This chapter discusses the trends in legume production in East Africa and the role played by legumes in integrated soil fertility management (ISFM).