Nairobi — The National Steering Committee to Revive the Coffee Sector has stepped up efforts to restore coffee farming in western Kenya, bringing together stakeholders from six counties to develop strategies aimed at increasing production, boosting farmer incomes and expanding local value addition.
The regional forum in Kisumu brought together representatives from Kisumu, Siaya, Homa Bay, Nyamira, Migori and Kisii counties as part of a nationwide government programme seeking to revive coffee as a major cash crop and strengthen Kenya’s position in the global market.
Speaking during the meeting, National Steering Committee member Okioma Omwancha said Kenya was once among Africa’s leading coffee producers and exporters but had witnessed decades of declining production, prompting many farmers to abandon the crop.
“In the 1980s, Kenya was one of Africa’s leading coffee producers and exporters. We have the soils, the climate and the quality, but production declined over the years. Our task now is to restore the sector to where it belongs,” he said.
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Omwancha said the revival programme is anchored on making coffee farming profitable again by improving returns to growers, expanding production and eliminating market distortions that have historically disadvantaged farmers.
He said the initiative aligns with the government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda by ensuring more earnings flow directly to producers.
“If every farmer grows coffee properly and receives fair returns without interference from cartels, coffee can once again transform rural livelihoods,” he said.
Under the proposed reforms, at least 80 per cent of coffee sale proceeds would be paid directly to farmers, with the remaining 20 per cent retained by cooperative societies to support their operations.
“The thinking is that farmers should receive most of the proceeds directly, while cooperative societies remain accountable for the share retained to run their operations,” Omwancha said.
The committee is also promoting the distribution of free coffee seedlings to encourage expansion in both traditional and emerging coffee-growing regions.
According to Omwancha, the Ministry of Co-operatives and MSMEs has already conducted consultations across established coffee-growing counties, while several other counties have expressed interest in introducing the crop.
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He, however, acknowledged that the revival programme faces significant constraints, particularly a shortage of quality planting materials caused by years of underinvestment in seed multiplication and agricultural research.
“One of our biggest challenges is producing enough quality seedlings. We need clean mother seed and stronger research support if we are to meet the growing demand from farmers,” he said.
Omwancha also called for greater investment in domestic coffee processing, arguing that Kenya should capture more value from its coffee rather than exporting raw beans.
“Kenya should not continue exporting raw coffee only to import finished products later. We must roast, process and add value here at home so that more wealth and jobs remain in the country,” he said.
He disclosed that international investors had previously expressed interest in establishing soluble coffee processing plants in Kenya but cited inadequate coffee production as the main obstacle.
The National Steering Committee to Revive the Coffee Sector was appointed by Cabinet Secretary for Co-operatives and MSMEs Wycliffe Oparanya through a Gazette Notice issued on October 31, 2025.
The committee has a two-year mandate to develop strategies for revitalising coffee production through cooperative societies, expand cultivation into new regions, mobilise financing for coffee cooperatives and recommend policy reforms to accelerate the sector’s recovery.
The Kisumu forum is one of a series of regional stakeholder consultations bringing together farmers, cooperatives, county governments and industry players to shape the country’s coffee revival strategy.
