The Kenyan government is set to introduce a digital revolution in the country’s coffee sector by launching an online trading platform that will connect farmers directly to local and international buyers.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, alongside Cooperatives CS Wycliffe Oparanya, announced on Wednesday that the system expected to operate through the Nairobi Coffee Exchange will bring transparency and efficiency to the coffee trade. The move aims to eliminate cartels that have long exploited farmers by manipulating prices.
“Marketing cannot be done the same way year after year and expect different results it’s madness,” Kagwe remarked. “We have agreed that the auction must go online, allowing international buyers to participate directly. Cartels will no longer hold the market hostage. Technology will deliver transparency and better prices for our farmers.”
The online platform will open Kenya’s coffee market to a global audience, allowing buyers from around the world to bid directly on Kenyan coffee. According to Kagwe, this will not only increase competition but also restore confidence in Kenya’s coffee trading system.
Kenya earned Ksh40 billion from coffee exports last year, a sharp decline from the Ksh100 billion peak in the 1980s. Kagwe attributed the drop to low productivity, mismanagement, and price manipulation by middlemen.
To reverse the trend, the government plans a comprehensive revitalisation programme that includes expanding coffee-growing areas, improving yields from 3 kilos to 30 kilos per tree, and deploying agricultural extension officers to train farmers.
Oparanya added that the ministry aims to triple coffee production from 50,000 to 150,000 metric tonnes within three years by modernising 1,176 cooperative factories and scaling up seedling production through New KPCU and other agencies.
Kagwe also revealed that Kenya will present proposals at the World Food Forum in Rome to advocate for independent African coffee markets, ensuring better earnings and global competitiveness for farmers across the continent.
