LAIKIPIA, Kenya – The government has rolled out an ambitious multi-billion shilling initiative aimed at reviving Kenya’s once-thriving coffee industry, with a focus on smallholder farmers and expansion into new production zones.
Cooperatives and MSMEs Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya, while addressing farmers during a sensitization forum in Laikipia County, said over Ksh.500 million has already been earmarked for seedling distribution.
This is part of a broader strategy to boost local production and enhance Kenya’s competitiveness in the global coffee market.
Additionally, Ksh.8 billion has been made available through the Cherry Fund, which offers affordable credit to enable farmers to scale up production, adopt modern farming methods, and invest in value addition.
“This year, the government has set aside Ksh.500 million for this programme. We will provide farmers with coffee seedlings to plant across the country, especially in areas with strong potential,” said Oparanya. “We are now in our 15th meeting since launching this coffee revitalization initiative, and we plan to visit every county with capacity—or possibility—to grow coffee.”
The three-year programme seeks to reverse Kenya’s declining coffee output, which has seen the country overtaken by regional producers such as Ethiopia, Uganda, Tanzania, and Côte d’Ivoire in recent years.
Once a global leader in Arabica coffee, Kenya has struggled with ageing bushes, mismanaged cooperatives, mounting farmer debts, and low global prices.
Oparanya assured farmers that the government would address historical debts, support cooperative reforms, and introduce modern technologies to help increase yields and restore quality.
“We’re not just distributing seedlings,” he emphasized. “We are tackling the root issues that have weighed down farmers—from poor governance in cooperatives to access to affordable finance.”
Coffee farming is a key source of income for thousands of smallholder households in Kenya.
However, production has dipped significantly in the past decade, with export volumes shrinking and many farmers abandoning the crop altogether due to poor returns.
By targeting both traditional and emerging coffee-growing regions, the government hopes to unlock new production hubs, especially in high-altitude counties with favourable soil and climate conditions.
The initiative is also expected to create jobs, strengthen farmer cooperatives, and increase Kenya’s foreign exchange earnings through enhanced exports.
The Laikipia event is one of a series of county-level forums aimed at sensitizing farmers and cooperative societies on the benefits of the revival programme and how to access funding and seedlings.
