President William Ruto addresses farmers during the Agriculture and Food Security town hall at Jamhuri Park, Nairobi on October 8, 2026./PCSPresident William Ruto has directed the government to provide Sh100 million to facilitate the establishment of a world-class quality analysis laboratory at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange within six months.
Ruto directed Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutai Kagwe to facilitate the project during an Agriculture and Food Security town hall at Jamhuri Park, Nairobi, on Thursday.
The laboratory is expected to support the handling and marketing of specialty coffee, including through a proposed special auction for micro-lots of fewer than 10 bags.
The move followed concerns that Kenya's specialty coffee is being traded through a conventional auction system that does not adequately cater for specialty coffee.
A representative of the Nairobi Coffee Exchange said the exchange was working on a special auction that would allow both local and international buyers to participate.
The representative said the exchange needed a world-class auction platform and its own quality analysis laboratory operating on ISO-certified standards recognised internationally.
"You remember we had a conversation. Coffee exchange is to implement something we are calling a special auction, which will be for specialty coffees, particularly micro lots that are less than 10 bags," the representative said.
The representative said the exchange had previously discussed a Sh50 million pledge by the President towards the laboratory.
Ruto, however, asked the relevant Cabinet Secretary to look for Sh100 million to ensure the project is implemented.
"Mutai, can you look for 100 million and make that thing a reality?" Ruto said.
The exchange representative said the laboratory could realistically be established within six months.
"Realistically, we can say in the next six months we should have a lab," the representative said.
Ruto then set the six-month period as the deadline for the project, saying the timeline would begin immediately.
"The clock runs from now. So we count six months from today," Ruto said.
He said the laboratory would create an opportunity for farmers producing specialty coffee to access global markets.
"Six months, Felix. We will have an opportunity for you to sell your specialty coffee globally," Ruto said.
The exchange also said it was working on a digital auction platform that would allow buyers from anywhere in the world to purchase coffee through the Nairobi Coffee Exchange.
The proposed specialty auction is intended to give smaller lots of high-quality coffee a separate platform from conventional coffee traded through the exchange.
The discussion also focused on how quickly proceeds from coffee sales reach growers.
The exchange said money reaches the grower's account within five days after coffee is sold.
It clarified that a grower can be an individual farmer, cooperative or association of coffee farmers.
The representative said farmers operating through cooperatives may choose to have their coffee aggregated before payment, depending on how their cooperative manages the produce.
Some farmers harvest relatively small quantities of red cherries at different times, meaning they may choose to aggregate their coffee before it is sold.
The representative said this does not mean payment is delayed once the coffee has been sold.
Ruto said the reforms had also improved farmers' ability to track their coffee and know when it has been sold.
"Today they can follow. They know our coffee was sold today, and after five days," Ruto said.
