Kiambu County emerges Kenya’s top coffee producer as ten counties account for 91 percent of national output

Kiambu County has been named Kenya’s leading coffee producer, delivering 8.96 million kilograms of clean coffee in the 2023/2024 season the highest output of any county according to new data released by the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA).

The county’s production, which represents 18 percent of the country’s total coffee output, was drawn from 832 estates and 21 cooperative societies. Estates contributed the lion’s share at 6.98 million kilograms, nearly four times more than the 1.98 million kilograms produced by cooperatives.

Kirinyaga County followed closely with 8.93 million kilograms, also representing 18 percent of the total national output, most of it coming from vibrant cooperative societies. Nyeri County ranked third with 6.52 million kilograms (13.2 percent), driven largely by cooperatives that contributed 5.67 million kilograms, while estates added 0.85 million kilograms.

Murang’a County secured fourth place with 5.07 million kilograms (10.3 percent), followed by Kericho County, which delivered 4.84 million kilograms (9.8 percent). Collectively, these top five counties produced nearly 70 percent of Kenya’s total coffee, cementing their dominance in the industry.

Other leading contributors included Bungoma (2.36 million kg), Meru (2.3 million kg), Embu (2.19 million kg), Nandi (1.8 million kg), and Machakos (1.3 million kg) rounding out the top ten.

The AFA report underscores Kenya’s dual coffee production model, combining the efficiency of large-scale estates like those in Kiambu with the resilience of smallholder cooperative societies in other counties.

With its strong performance, Kiambu has reaffirmed its role as the backbone of Kenya’s coffee industry, balancing commercial output and heritage farming that continue to define Kenya’s global coffee reputation.