Earlier this year, H.E Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua met with both coffee farmers, to have an earnest conversation on the problems and challenges the subsector has encountered over the years.

One of the most mentioned challenges the farmers mentioned was the low prices and undercutting by the brokers and middlemen, especially the small scale farmers. Brokers have been known to buy coffee at low prices which left many farmers frustrated, leading to uprooting of coffee trees and total abandonment of coffee farming.

Coffee is one of the major export products in the country, supporting directly and indirectly, over 5 Million Kenyans.

As part of the agricultural reforms the Deputy President has been in charge of, the Nairobi Coffee Exchange was recently reopened, after months of inactivity. The NCE, a non-profit government funded organization, is mandated to provide a platform for the farmers and sellers and buyers of coffee, to trade in efficient and most importantly, transparent manner. The platform allows farmers to showcase their products to numerous buyers, ensuring they get the best possible buyers for their produce. In the same spirit, the NCE provides the buyers with a central location to sample the coffee from numerous sellers.

At the reopening, 11 cooperative unions have been licensed to sell coffee at the exchange and overseas directly. This will eliminate the need for middlemen and brokers.

The exchange is a welcome platform for farmers in two major ways. Transparency on prices of coffee and expedited payment.

Previously, farmers were relying on middlemen and brokers to know the prices of coffee. Earlier this year, the Deputy President noted that many farmers were unfortunately unaware of how much their produce was selling at in the auctions. With the reopening of the NCE, farmers will now be informed and aware of prices and their changes.

The second biggest benefit for farmers is that their payments will now be fast-tracked. This will improve their lives significantly.

Farmers will be able to easily hold their cooperatives accountable and transparent.

The Kenya Kwanza government and President Ruto has continued to show his dedication at bettering the lives of farmers in the country, with the Deputy President fast tracking the reforms in the agricultural sector and subsectors.