Already, small-scale trials in Nyandarua produced coffee cherries that met standard quality requirements, including flavour and aroma.
Nyandarua, long known for its irish potatoes, is looking to join Kenya’s coffee growing league, with county leaders encouraging farmers to diversify to the cash crop. They hope to reduce farmers' overreliance on a single crop and tap into the lucrative coffee industry.
They reckon the move also aligns with the national government’s ambitious plan to double Kenya’s coffee production from 50,000 tonnes last season to 102,000 tonnes by 2027/2028.
“Why was Nyandarua left out of coffee growing for so long when the climate and soils here are similar to neighbouring coffee-growing counties? We want our farmers to enjoy the economic empowerment coffee brings,” said Governor Kiarie Badilisha.
Nyandarua Governor Kiarie Badilisha (left) and Cooperatives Principal Secretary Patrick Kilemi during the launch of coffee growing in Nyandarua County on March 23, 2026.
In the last two years, the county has promoted diversification with new commercial crops including apples and avocados, alongside improved fodder varieties to boost dairy farming. Coffee now joins this growing list as the third major cash crop.
Coffee-growing altitude
This year, Nyandarua has been allocated 250,000 coffee seedlings as part of the government’s phased coffee devolution programme. The first phase targets 1,700 farmers with each receiving 150 seedlings to plant on a quarter-acre plot.
“Nyandarua is among the new frontiers identified for coffee cultivation. The county fits within the recommended coffee-growing altitude and we are committed to supporting farmers. Agriculture is devolved: we will be working with Nyandarua to ensure that all parts that are suitable for coffee are identified and supported,” Cooperatives PS Patrick Kilemi.
The initiative is part of the New Kenya Planters Cooperative Union (NKPCU) strategic plan, a Sh8 billion programme aimed at strengthening coffee production, marketing, and institutional efficiency.
Last year, factories paid farmers between Sh120 and Sh150 per kilo of coffee cherries with the government providing over Sh14 billion in cherry advances to reduce exploitation by brokers.
PS Kilemi highlighted that with each bush expected to produce 25 to 50 kilos of cherries, phase one in Nyandarua could add at least 10 tonnes to national production within 18 months.
“The county will also benefit from coffee processing factories once planting succeeds. We are ensuring farmers get seedlings promptly after inspection by county agronomists,” the PS added.
Coffee production in Kenya has declined sharply from over 130,000 metric tonnes in 1988 to 50,000 metric tonnes in 2021, largely due to climate change and unstable marketing systems.
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