Kesses Sub-County is set to expand its coffee-growing footprint, with 99,000 quality coffee seedlings being distributed to farmers under Uasin Gishu County’s 2026 one-million coffee seedling programme.

The seedlings have the potential to establish approximately 99 acres of new coffee plantations, creating new opportunities for farmers to diversify their incomes through a high-value crop.

Governor Dr. Jonathan Bii Chelilim said the County Government is moving beyond seedling distribution to build a stronger coffee value chain through farmer training, extension support, cooperative development, processing and value addition.

He has also committed to facilitating more benchmarking visits for farmers to successful coffee farms across Kenya, enabling them to gain practical knowledge on modern production, processing, marketing and profitable coffee farming.

Currently, Uasin Gishu has established about 3,000 acres of coffee, presenting significant economic potential for farmers. Based on an average yield of 150kg of coffee cherry per point of land and a selling price of Ksh 125 per kilogram, one point of land could generate approximately Ksh 18,750, translating to about Ksh 1.875 million per acre.

Across the current 3,000 acres, the coffee crop therefore represents a potential KSh5.625 billion in gross coffee cherry value per harvest, underscoring the growing importance of coffee in the county’s agricultural transformation.

Deputy Governor Evans Kapkea said exposing farmers to successful coffee enterprises is an important part of building their capacity and transforming coffee farming into a profitable business.

He noted that farmers and cooperative leaders who have participated in benchmarking visits have gained practical knowledge in production, processing, value addition, cooperative management and marketing.

County Executive for Agriculture, Agribusiness, Livestock and Fisheries Dr. Sam Kotut, said the distribution of quality seedlings is part of a wider strategy to expand coffee production while ensuring farmers receive the technical support needed to establish productive farms.

He emphasised proper farm management, stronger cooperatives and investment in processing so farmers can benefit across the entire coffee value chain.

Under the theme “Brewing Prosperity: Enhancing the Coffee Value Chain for Sustainable Economic Empowerment,” the 2026 programme is being implemented across all six sub-counties as part of Nguzo Kumi, with agriculture as the first pillar.