After maize, coffee will be Uasin Gishu's next success story

Former athlete Leah Malot at her coffee farm in Kongasis village, Uasin Gishu County, on August 10, 2021. [File, Standard] 

For generations, maize has been the lifeblood of Uasin Gishu’s agricultural identity. It was the crop that fed the nation, financed livelihoods, and empowered our farmers to build better lives. Our fathers farmed expansive lands, coordinated through strong cooperatives, and invested in tractors and equipment with pride.

But over time, the landscape has changed. Land fragmentation, rising input costs, erratic weather patterns, and diminishing returns have made maize less reliable as a sole source of income. These realities call for adaptation. They call for courage and most of all, they call for vision.

That is why, the county government has launched a bold campaign to shift our farmers toward high-value crop adoption, a central pillar of our Nguzo Kumi development blueprint. At the heart of this campaign lies a transformational idea: Coffee farming in Uasin Gishu.

We believe firmly that coffee has the potential not just to thrive here, but to uplift livelihoods and reposition our county as a hub of premium agricultural produce. 

The crop is well-suited to our altitude, soil, and climate. With the right support and care, coffee will be our next success story.

Last year, we began this journey with the distribution of 383,000 seedlings to farmers across several sub-counties. Today, the momentum is undeniable. We have scaled up to over 1 million seedlings, placing us well ahead of our original target. And we are not stopping there.

This is about creating an entire ecosystem and our farmers are receiving training, support, and technical guidance to ensure their success. 

Already, 210 agripreneurs across the six sub-counties are leading the way by training others, building small enterprises, and helping shape a new agricultural future.

But for coffee farming to be truly viable, we must close the loop from farm to market.

That is why we have begun the construction of a coffee milling plant in Cheramei, Turbo Sub-County. This facility will add value to our coffee, reduce post-harvest losses, and ensure our farmers get better returns from their hard work. 

In addition, we will soon begin distributing pulping machines to all sub-counties, ensuring that farmers have access to the essential infrastructure needed to process their harvest efficiently locally.

We are also thinking beyond borders. We are laying the foundation for Uasin Gishu coffee to become a respected brand, one that will one day sit proudly on supermarket shelves, not just in Kenya, but across the world. 

The dream of seeing our coffee served in cafés in London, New York, or Dubai is not far-fetched. It is possible and we are taking the steps to make it happen.

Beyond the economics, coffee offers us a climate-smart solution. It can be grown on smaller plots under shade trees, it restores soil health, and helps to improve our ecological balance. For farmers with limited land, coffee provides a higher return per acre, making it both a profitable and sustainable choice.

We recognise that change is not always easy. Maize is part of our history and identity. But the future demands innovation. It demands that we open our minds to new possibilities and with the right support, coffee farming will be one of the most impactful shifts in Uasin Gishu’s agricultural history.

To our farmers: We urge you to embrace this opportunity. Start small. Nurture it. Learn and grow with us.

Dr Chelilim is the governor of Uasin Gishu County