President William Ruto has launched the Coffee Revival Programme in Kirinyaga County on Monday, signaling a fresh push by the government to restore Kenya’s once-thriving coffee sector and increase farmers’ earnings.
The programme, which is being implemented through the New Kenya Planters Cooperative Union (New KPCU) and the Ministry of Cooperatives, seeks to boost coffee production, strengthen cooperative societies and put more money into the pockets of farmers.
The launch comes at a time when the government is rolling out reforms aimed at reversing years of declining coffee production that saw Kenya lose its position among Africa’s top coffee-producing nations.
According to government data, the country is targeting an increase in coffee production from about 50,000 metric tonnes to 150,000 metric tonnes by 2028.
Under the programme, more than 20 million certified coffee seedlings are expected to be distributed to farmers across coffee-growing counties over the next three years.
The initiative is also backed by farmer training, extension services, subsidised inputs and reforms designed to eliminate exploitative middlemen in the coffee value chain.
Kirinyaga, one of Kenya’s leading coffee-producing counties, has been at the centre of the government’s efforts to revive the crop.
Earlier this year, Cooperative Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya urged farmers in the county to embrace modern farming technologies and certified seedlings to increase yields and improve earnings.
The programme follows the enactment of the Coffee Act, 2026, which introduced new reforms in the management and regulation of the sector as the government seeks to restore confidence among farmers and cooperative societies.
For many coffee farmers, the success of the programme will not be measured by speeches or policy announcements but by whether coffee farming becomes profitable again.
The government believes the reforms will help restore Kenya’s reputation as a global producer of premium coffee while creating a more sustainable source of income for hundreds of thousands of farming households across the country.
