Taita Taveta: Region where coffee was first grown struggles to regain glory

Coffee farmer Jonam Mugho at his farm in Taita Hills, Taita Taveta County. He is one of the few residents still growing the crop. [Benson Mnyamwezi, Standard]

Taita Taveta County is said to be the first place where coffee was planted in Kenya during the colonial administration due to its unique biodiversity. This led researchers to describe it as a “wild variety of coffee” in one of the indigenous forests.

“Taita Hills was indeed the first place where the Europeans first introduced coffee in Kenya. It is sad that the cash crop is no longer flourishing here despite the region having played the historic role on pilot basis,” says Jonam Mugho, one of the few successful coffee farmers in the area.