Kindiki: Parliament finalising coffee Bill

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has said the government was firm in implementing coffee reforms, ahead of the oncoming coffee season 2025/2026.

Kindiki said the government was working to ensure timely availability of fertilizer to farmers, subsidized pesticides and availability of certified subsidized coffee seedlings through better resourcing of the Coffee Research Institute.

he added that in the licensing protocols in the coffee value chain have been revised to eliminate multiple licenses and require only one license per person- as a miller or broker or marketer.

"In a few weeks time we expect the two Houses of Parliament to finalize enactment of the Coffee Act, 2025 and the Cooperatives Act, 2025," he said.

He outlined that application of the two proposed laws will provide better governance of coffee factories and cooperative societies, and will permanently eliminate cartels and middle men in the coffee sector who have for long benefitted from the sweat of farmers.

He noted that in the just ended coffee harvesting kilogrames fetched between Sh 110 and Sh150, marking the return of the coffee boom of old is within sight.

Speaking at Kianjang'a Grounds, during an open engagement forum with 12,000 coffee farmers from Ndia Constituency in Kirinyaga County to update them on government interventions in the sector for the 2025/2026 season, and to receive suggestions on how to sustain profitability in the sector.

MPs George Kariuki (Ndia), Joseph Gitari (Kirinyaga Central), Hon Wangui Ngirichi, Chairperson of Kenya Seed Company, Speaker of Kirinyaga County Assembly Muteti Murimi, Members of the Kirinyaga Couny Assembly, Coffee Societies and Factory officals and farmers were present.