By L, KNA
Nandi County Government has announced sweeping reforms in the coffee sector aimed at protecting farmers, restoring order in the value chain, and positioning Nandi Coffee as a globally competitive brand.
In a circular dated September 15, 2025, signed by Dr. Kiplimo Araap Lagat, the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Agriculture and Cooperative Development, nine directives were issued covering marketing, licensing, governance, and compliance with international standards.
Among the key measures, the County outlawed all cherry trading outside licensed cooperatives and estates, terming the practice theft that undermines farmers’ incomes. Enforcement will be spearheaded by County Coffee Inspectors working with the National Police Service and Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) officers.
The County also enforced the Nandi Coffee Nursery Management and Licensing Guidelines (2025) to eliminate fake seedlings, with farmers directed to source planting materials only from licensed nurseries and cooperatives.
Dr. Lagat said the directives were designed to “protect farmer incomes, strengthen cooperative governance, curb cherry theft, and ensure Nandi Coffee achieves global competitiveness.”
Other reforms include the operationalization of the Nandi Coffee Mill (NCM) in Tinderet, establishment of SACCOs in all 30 wards to ease access to credit, compliance with the upcoming EU Deforestation Regulations (EUDR), and the launch of a Geographical Indication (GI) Roadmap to brand Nandi Coffee as a premium global product.
To ensure transparency, the County will publish and regularly update lists of all licensed and compliant entities in the sector.
Local farmers have welcomed the reforms, saying they will restore confidence in the sector.
“For years, cherry hawking has robbed us of our hard work. Traders buy our cherries cheaply at night and resell for a profit, while we remain broke. This crackdown is long overdue,” said David Kiptoo, a farmer from Mosoriot
Esther Chebet, a coffee grower from Aldai, hailed the nursery licensing rules, “We have been duped with fake seedlings that don’t produce. Certified nurseries will help us get quality plants and better yields.”
Others said the EU mapping and the GI process could transform livelihoods. “If Nandi Coffee is branded and protected globally, we can finally earn what our coffee is worth,” said Josephat Ngetich, a cooperative member in Tinderet.
With these measures, Nandi County is setting a new benchmark for coffee sector reforms in Kenya, giving farmers renewed hope of higher incomes, stronger cooperatives, and access to premium international markets.