- Coffee farmers across the country are receiving billions under a major cherry financing programme
- One county has emerged as the biggest beneficiary, while another records a striking payout pattern
- New figures reveal a wide gap in coffee funding between counties
The New Kenya Planters Co-operative Union (New KPCU) has disbursed Ksh15.07 billion under the Coffee Cherry Advance Revolving Fund (CCARF) to 683,980 farmers across 30 counties, according to figures released by the union as at August 17, 2026.
The disbursement report, shared by New KPCU, shows a wide gap between the highest and lowest performing counties, both in total funds released and the number of farmers reached.
Top five counties by amount disbursed
Nyeri County received the largest share of the fund, with Ksh2.26 billion paid out to 112,075 farmers. Kiambu County followed with Ksh1.97 billion disbursed to 36,295 farmers, while Kirinyaga County received Ksh1.67 billion covering 110,631 beneficiaries.
Machakos County ranked fourth with Ksh1.62 billion paid to 105,011 farmers. Embu County completed the top five, receiving Ksh1.16 billion for 84,605 beneficiaries.
RELATED:
Bungoma County, though outside the top five by amount, recorded the second highest number of beneficiaries at 77,751 farmers, receiving Ksh1.02 billion.
Notable patterns in the data
The figures point to differences in average payout per farmer across counties. Kiambu farmers received an average of about Ksh54,000 each, notably higher than the roughly Ksh13,000 to Ksh20,000 average recorded in Nyeri, Kirinyaga, Machakos, Embu and Bungoma. This suggests Kiambu had fewer but larger scale coffee growers accessing the fund, while counties such as Kirinyaga and Nyeri had broader, more even reach among smallholder farmers.
At the lower end, counties including Vihiga, Narok, West Pokot and Bomet recorded minimal disbursements, each below Ksh5 million, with Vihiga receiving just Ksh52,000 to a single beneficiary. This points to limited coffee farming activity or low uptake of the fund in these regions.
About the fund
The CCARF was established to provide affordable, accessible cherry advances to smallholder coffee farmers, cushioning them against poor market prices while they await proceeds from the sale of their cherry. New KPCU administers the fund through registered coffee co-operative societies, with farmers receiving advances upon delivery of cherry to pulping units and again after processing.
By Benedict Aoya
Get more stories from our website: Sacco Review.
For comments and clarifications, write to: Saccoreview@
Kindly follow us via our social media pages on Facebook: Sacco Review Newspaper for timely updates
Stay ahead of the pack! Grab the latest Sacco Review newspaper!
