The Cabinet
Secretary for Cooperatives and MSMEs, Wycliffe Oparanya, has announced that the
government will distribute five million coffee seedlings to Uasin Gishu farmers
through cooperative societies.
The exercise is expected to start during the next financial year to support the expansion of coffee farming in the county.
Speaking during a visit to the county, Oparanya said the initiative is part of a broader effort to revive Kenya’s coffee sector and restore its past glory.
“The five million coffee seedlings are aimed to boost production in the country,” Oparanya said..
According to data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics Economic Survey 2024, the peak production of 128,926 metric tonnes in 1987/88 has dropped to 48,700 metric tonnes in 2023.
This represents a significant decline, with production falling by more than half over the decades.
Oparanya says that already 5000 seedlings have been ordered for distribution to benefit the coffee farmers as soon as possible.
“Subsequently, 20 million seedlings in the following years are under projection for us to attain our target of producing 150,000 million metric tons of coffee by the year 2027."
He also noted that coffee fertiliser will be distributed through co-operative societies at a cost of Sh2,000 per bag.
He pointed out plans to introduce organic fertiliser as opposed to using chemicals and pulping machines from Brazil, as already in the pipeline.
“We aim to expand coffee coverage, that is why I have visited at least 35 countries to rally support for this profitable venture,” he said.
On April 19, 2025, the government allocated Sh500 million in the supplementary budget to facilitate the propagation and distribution of coffee seedlings to farmers.
Principal Secretary for the State Department for Cooperatives, Patrick Kilemi, said the programme aimed to increase production with 20 million coffee seedlings earmarked for distribution to farmers across all coffee-growing regions annually.
Kilemi was speaking in Murang’a, where he met coffee farmers.
He noted that the Coffee Research Institute (CRI) and New KPCU will be entrusted with the responsibility of propagating the seedlings of high-yielding coffee varieties.
He stated that coffee production in the country is still low compared to other neighbouring coffee-producing nations.
