In a symbolic push to rejuvenate Kenya’s famed coffee industry, Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu formally flagged off the delivery of 10,000 certified coffee seedlings—a milestone in the wider “Revival of Coffee through Co-operative Societies Programme.”
These seedlings mark the start of an ambitious county-wide rollout aiming to distribute half a million seedlings in Laikipia alone. Nationally, the initiative targets an astounding 20 million coffee plants, set to transform the livelihoods of over 200,000 smallholder farmers across Kenya’s 33 coffee-growing counties.
The programme is spearheaded by New Kenya Planters Cooperative Union PLC (New KPCU), under the leadership of Managing Director Timothy Mirugi. The union is at the forefront of pursuing a bold goal: tripling Kenya’s annual coffee output from approximately 51,000 metric tonnes today to beyond 151,000 tonnes by the 2028/29 season.
Productivity per tree is projected to rise from 2 kilograms to 5 kilograms, courtesy of improved seed varieties and modern agronomic support, an important cornerstone for achieving that increase.
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The seedlings, certified by the Coffee Research Institute (CRI), have been selected to perform well in Kenya’s varied agro-climates. CRI Deputy Director Dr. Harrison Mugo led hands-on training sessions for farmers and extension officers, covering planting best practices, site planning and early-growth crop management, an essential foundation for peak performance.
Farmers were encouraged to utilize the Coffee Cherry Advance Revolving Fund, a low interest financing tool designed to bridge liquidity gaps during the production cycle. New KPCU has already disbursed Sh5 billion to over 370,000 farmers by mid-2024 through this fund, with Sh125 million alone going to 9,000 growers in 11 counties in September that year.
At a stakeholder meeting held in Tharaka Nithi in July 2025, Timothy Mirugi revealed plans to restructure New KPCU’s hardware and staffing, including formation of a dedicated marketing department, upgrades to mill machinery and power backup, and pursuit of a Direct Sales Agency License to enable direct coffee sale participation. The government also recently forgave Sh6.8 billion in historical debt owed by coffee farmers, easing the burden on producers and revitalizing cooperative societies at the grassroots.
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All of these measures align with ongoing reforms under the Coffee Policy 2023, Coffee Bill 2023 and Cooperatives Bill 2024, and include rollout of the Direct Settlement System (DSS)—a tech platform by Co-operative Bank that speeds up farmer payments at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange.
With infrastructure upgrades, new marketing divisions and access to research-certified seedlings, New KPCU is turning cooperatives into engines of growth and innovation. Debt relief and the DSS further ease long-standing bottlenecks that have historically hampered the sector.
Kenya’s coffee output lagged at 34,500 tonnes in 2020/21, down sharply from a peak of 128,000 tonnes in the late 1980s. Export volumes rose modestly to roughly 47,957 tonnes in 2022-23, fetching USD 252.12 million, while local consumption fell short at just 19 percent of total output, underscoring the need for both production and domestic demand interventions.
By Benedict Aoya
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