The Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) has promised to revolutionise coffee trading as it launched a 5-year strategic plan, with the government promising to protect farmers from exploitation.
In a speech read on his behalf, Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya said the government will continue to support reforms that improve price discovery, reduce inefficiencies, and protect farmers from exploitation
“For too long, our farmers have carried the heaviest burden while earning the smallest share of the final value. This Strategic Plan recognises that the sustainability of the coffee industry begins with fair and competitive returns at the farm level,’’ said Oparanya.
While welcoming the NCE’s Strategic Plan, Oparanya noted that the majority of coffee farmers operate through cooperative societies and that when the Exchange becomes more transparent, more digitised, and more efficient, it strengthens the entire cooperative value chain.
“We welcome the commitment to enhanced governance, compliance, and reporting. Trust is the currency of markets, and transparency builds trust,’’ he said.
The CS said the coffee sector must attract the next generation by embracing innovation and youth inclusion. He said digital trading platforms, traceability systems, climate-smart practices, and enterprise financing are not optional; they are essential.
He said his Ministry will work closely with stakeholders to ensure that MSMEs in processing, logistics, and value addition are fully integrated into this modernisation journey.
The chairman of the Nairobi Coffee Exchange, Kenneth Gitonga, said the Strategic Plan 2026–2030 was not incremental but transformational, courageous and a systemic renewal.
He said for decades, NCE has been a marketplace, but they are now going to turn it into a movement that restores dignity to the farmer, commands respect in global markets and movement that makes Kenyan coffee not just traded, but treasured.
Gitonga said NCE will introduce radical transparency and digitised trading systems with real-time market data and traceability from farm to cup.
He said every stakeholder from the slopes of Mt. Kenya to Kirinyaga, Nandi, Kisii, Bungoma, Machakos, Laikipia, and Taita Taveta will see, know, and trust the process.
Gitonga said they will seek market expansion and global positioning, where they will deepen their presence in established speciality markets while forging new pathways in emerging economies.
The NCE boss said value optimisation for farmers will not be negotiable and that the Exchange must work for the farmer first.
“We will champion pricing mechanisms that reward quality, sustainability, and consistency. The prosperity of the farmer is the prosperity of the Exchange,’’ said Gitonga.
He said NCE will strengthen governance, compliance, and operational efficiency and will set the benchmark for commodity exchanges across Africa to be disciplined, accountable, and world-class.
NCE Chief Executive Officer Lisper Ndungu said the global coffee landscape is changing rapidly and markets are becoming more digitised.
“Buyers are demanding greater traceability and sustainability. Producers are seeking fairer returns and more efficient systems. Competition is intensifying. Climate change continues to test resilience across value chains,’’ she noted.
She said that the heart of this strategy is three central ambitions: Digital Transformation and Operational Excellence, Market Expansion and Global Positioning and Stakeholder Value and Sustainability.
On digital transformation and operational excellence, NCE will invest in robust, secure, and innovative systems that make participation in the marketplace seamless, data-driven, and globally competitive.
Regarding the market expansion and global positioning are premised on Kenyan coffee being among the finest in the world. Through strategic partnerships and enhanced marketing, NCE will elevate Kenya’s international footprint and attract diversified buyers to the Exchange.
On the Stakeholder Value and Sustainability, Ndungu said NCE will strengthen collaboration across the ecosystem, farmers, cooperatives, estates, millers, brokers, regulators, exporters, financial institutions, and development partners to ensure equitable growth and long-term resilience.
She said the strategy was a shared commitment to the farmers who earnestly tend to their crop, a commitment to the cooperative leaders striving for better returns for their members and to the buyers who trust our systems and finally to the generations who will inherit the industry.
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