Waiguru showcases Kirinyaga’s coffee success as Ruto launches National Revitalization Programme

Coffee farmers in Kirinyaga have gotten a major relief after President William Ruto waived over Ksh 1 billion debt owed by 14 coffee cooperatives.

The waiver follows a request by Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru who said the debts have been a burden and were weighing heavily on farmers and slowing the full revival of the sector.

Speaking during launch of the Coffee Sector Revitalization Programme at General Kassam Stadium in Kianyaga, Gichugu constituency, the President announced that his government had set aside Ksh.2 billion in the 2026/2027 budget to settle debts owed by coffee cooperatives, a move expected to benefit farmers across the country.

He noted that the national launch was deliberately held in Kirinyaga because the county is currently the country’s best-performing coffee producer in terms of production, quality and farmer payouts, crediting Waiguru’s leadership for the achievement.

Governor Waiguru noted that historical debts owed by cooperative societies to financial institutions continued to burden coffee farmers and appealed to the President to fulfil the government’s promise of a debt waiver.

In remarks that attracted loud applause from the farmers, Waiguru told the President that if he helped coffee farmers by waiving the debts, they would “repay him when the time comes,” in a statement widely interpreted as a pledge of political support in the next General Election.

During the event attended by thousands of coffee farmers drawn from 34 coffee-growing counties across the country, Waiguru took centre stage in highlighting the remarkable turnaround of the county’s coffee sector with leaders asking other counties to use Kirinyaga as a benchmark for coffee sector transformation. Also present were Governors Cecily Mbarire (Embu), Joseph Irungu (Laikipia) and Jonathan Bii (Uasin Gishu), Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives and MSMEs Development Wycliffe Oparanya, his Agriculture counterpart Mutahi Kagwe, Principal Secretaries, Members of Parliament, cooperative movement leaders, New KPCU officials and senior government officers.

Governor Waiguru noted that coffee remains the backbone of the Kirinyaga’s economy, supporting more than 120,000 farmers and thousands of households across the value chain. The county is home to 14 coffee cooperative societies and 74 coffee factories.

Waiguru said that annual coffee production in Kirinyaga has grown from 28,000 metric tonnes of cherry in 2017 to 49,100 tonnes in the 2025/26 season, earning farmers Ksh.7.48 billion, the highest payout in the county’s history.

She added farmers received between Ksh.104 and Ksh.157.40 per kilogram of cherry, with the average payout rising to Ksh.139 per kilogram from Ksh.134 last year. Among the top-performing factories were Nyanja, Kiangoi, Kii, Kirimikui and Guama, all of which posted some of the highest returns in the country.

The governor attributed the gains to deliberate interventions by her administration, including the distribution of quality coffee seedlings, support for subsidized fertilizer distribution, enhanced extension services, farmer training programmes, installation of eco-pulpers and solar dryers in coffee factories, and the construction of a modern warehouse at the Kirinyaga County Cooperative Union premises in Kimicha with a capacity of 50,000 bags of parchment coffee.

She further highlighted her administration’s role in facilitating the acquisition of a brokerage licence for the Kirinyaga Slopes Coffee Brokerage Company, which has marketed approximately 18,255 metric tonnes of clean coffee between 2023 and 2026, earning farmers Ksh.14.6 billion. She also pointed to ongoing value-addition efforts being spearheaded by Mutira and Mwirua cooperative societies.

Her sentiments were echoed by Kirinyaga Central MP Gachoki Gitari, who also urged the government to fast-track the debt waiver process to accelerate the ongoing revival of the coffee sector.

Waiguru’s achievements also received strong endorsement from Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, who hailed the governor for steering Kirinyaga into becoming a premium coffee producer and a national model in coffee quality, production and farmer earnings.

Kindiki also credited President Ruto’s reforms for the remarkable turnaround in the coffee sector nationally, noting that coffee payouts had risen from an average of about Ksh.50 per kilogram in previous years to current returns approaching Ksh.160 per kilogram in some factories. He further observed that coffee farming had expanded from a relatively small number of producing counties to the current 35 coffee-growing counties across the country, demonstrating renewed confidence in the crop.

President Ruto, who officially launched the programme, said the ultimate objective of the coffee revival agenda was to put more money in farmers’ pockets, noting that the reforms began with farmer registration, through which 7.3 million farmers have already been enrolled nationally to facilitate efficient delivery of government support programmes.

The President said the government had invested heavily in subsidized fertilizer and directed all stakeholders to ensure that the commodity reaches farmers at the right time and in sufficient quantities. He announced that Ksh.18 billion had been allocated in the coming financial year’s budget to support the fertilizer subsidy programme.

Ruto said the government’s vision is to significantly increase coffee earnings, with farmers expected to earn between Ksh.250 and Ksh.300 per kilogram under the revitalization slot gacor programme.

To achieve this, he said the government is targeting production of 150,000 metric tonnes of coffee beans by 2029 through improved varieties, better agronomic practices and increased acreage. “The plan seeks to increase productivity from the current average of about two kilograms per coffee tree to five kilograms per tree while expanding coffee acreage by an additional 100,000 acres on top of the current 250,000 acres under coffee cultivation”, he said.

The President further announced that an additional Ksh.1 billion would be provided to counties for modernization of coffee factories, including the acquisition of equipment such as eco-pulpers and other technologies aimed at improving coffee quality and efficiency. Another Ksh.1 billion, he said, had been set aside for the production and distribution of quality, well-researched coffee seedlings to support expansion and rejuvenation of coffee farms.

Ruto also directed that coffee marketing reforms be fully implemented to ensure that at least 80 percent of coffee sale proceeds are paid directly to farmers promptly through digital systems designed to eliminate inefficiencies, delays and leakages in the payment process. He urged cooperative leaders across the country to faithfully safeguard members’ resources and uphold transparency and accountability in the management of cooperative societies.

The President also challenged public institutions and Kenyans generally to increase consumption of locally produced coffee as part of efforts to expand the domestic market, noting that more than 1,000 young people have been trained as coffee champions across the country.

Farmers attending the forum welcomed the government’s commitments but also raised concerns about counterfeit and banned agrochemicals finding their way into the market. They called for stricter enforcement to ensure that only genuine pesticides and crop protection products are sold through agrovet outlets, noting that many farmers struggle to distinguish between approved and counterfeit products.