Kenya sets up national, county committees to boost coffee production and expand growing regions 

KENYA – Kenya has unveiled a national and county-level steering structure tasked with spearheading the revival of the coffee sector, with a strong focus on expanding cultivation and boosting production in both traditional and new growing areas.  

The initiative aims to increase national coffee output from the current 50,000 metric tonnes to 102,000 metric tonnes by 2028. 

The committees, mandated to operate for two years, will oversee strategies to introduce coffee farming in non-traditional zones while enhancing production in existing coffee counties. The move is part of the government’s broader plan to restore the country’s standing in the global coffee market. 

The national committee, appointed by Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya through a Kenya Gazette notice dated October 31, will be chaired by former Senator Njeru Ndwiga. Daniel Chemno will serve as First Vice Chairman, with Nyeri County Agriculture CEC James Wachihi as Second Vice Chairman. 

Other members include Presidential Advisor on Coffee Henry Kinyua, New Kenya Planters Co-operative Union (KPCU) Managing Director Timothy Mirugi, Coffee Research Institute Director Elijah Gichuru, and Cooperative Commissioner David Obonyo. 

The committee’s responsibilities include developing and supervising the execution of measures to revive coffee production in traditional growing regions, mobilizing resources to support cooperatives, and ensuring the availability of seedlings across varieties. Further, the team is expected to promote the participation of youth and women in coffee cooperative societies. 

At the county level, each steering committee will be chaired by the County Commissioner, with the County CEC for Agriculture or Cooperatives serving as co-chair.  

Representatives from New KPCU will act as secretaries, alongside county officials and cooperative leaders. These county teams will mirror the national committee’s functions and report progress to the national body. 

In recent months, New KPCU has been distributing seedlings across Rift Valley and Mt Kenya, targeting over 20 million seedlings annually between the 2023/2025 and 2025/2026 financial years. 

During the 2024/2025 coffee year, farmers earned Kes 36.5 billion through the Nairobi Coffee Exchange, selling 673,844 bags, compared to 693,610 bags in the previous financial cycle.  

Coffee is currently grown in 33 counties, with plans underway to extend cultivation to additional suitable regions. 

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