Kenya’s Coffee Act 2026 opens new marketing channels for coffee farmers
The new framework allows Kenyan coffee to be sold through the Nairobi Coffee Exchange, direct sales and international exchanges while strengthening payment mechanisms for growers.
KENYA – Kenya has implemented the Coffee Act 2026, giving coffee farmers more options to market their produce through the Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE), direct sales, international exchanges and other channels prescribed by the Cabinet Secretary.
Coffee Board of Kenya Chairperson Henry Kinyua said the new framework was designed to strengthen the coffee sector while ensuring farmers receive payment for their produce within a reasonable period.
Speaking during International Coffee Day celebrations in Kirinyaga County, Kinyua said up to 80% of Kenyan coffee was currently marketed through the Nairobi Coffee Exchange.
The event was held under the theme “Building Prosperity Through Collaboration” and brought together farmers, government officials and other coffee value-chain stakeholders.
Kinyua said farmers selling coffee through the exchange would continue benefiting from the Direct Settlement System, which enables payments to be made directly into growers’ accounts.
“Within five days after the coffee is procured, money is already in the account of the growers,” he said.
He noted that individual farmers working through cooperatives could sometimes experience delays as societies consolidated coffee from different growers, but said payments during the previous coffee season had generally been made within a reasonable period.
Kinyua also highlighted the Coffee Cherry Advance Revolving Fund, administered through the New Kenya Planters’ Cooperative Union (KPCU), which enables farmers to access part of their expected coffee earnings in advance.
He said the board was developing regulations to promote the sector, strengthen the global profile of Kenyan coffee and ensure the country retained its reputation in international markets while farmers benefited from the crop.
“We are looking forward to how we are going to make Kenyan coffee the greatest product as it has always been, and ensure that the story reaches everybody across the globe,” Kinyua said.
Kirinyaga County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture Dr John Gachara said the county was seeking to increase coffee productivity while maintaining quality, describing coffee as one of its key economic crops.
He urged farmers to focus on improving the productivity of individual coffee bushes.
“Farmers do not produce coffee; the coffee bush is the one which produces coffee,” Gachara said.
He said extension officers were working with farmers to raise production to more than 10 kilogrammes of coffee per bush while maintaining quality capable of competing in international markets.
Gachara also urged farmers to use recommended agricultural chemicals and production practices to ensure their coffee met international market standards.
Kirinyaga’s coffee production rose from about 2.3 million kilogrammes in 2017 to 49.1 million kilogrammes in 2025, according to county officials. The increase was attributed partly to support for coffee unions and primary cooperative societies.
The new marketing framework comes as Kenya seeks to strengthen coffee production, marketing and farmer earnings across the value chain.
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