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Kenya
Gachagua seeks to revive glory days of Kenya's coffee sector

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“East Africa's hotly contested coffee sector”

East Africa

East Africa's hotly contested coffee sector

An important source of foreign currency, coffee exports are the subject of a power struggle between multinational trading companies and the region's coffee-producing countries, chief among which are Ethiopia and Kenya. While governments try to impose reforms designed to favour local producers and intermediaries, international traders, notably German and Swiss, seek to maintain their dominant position. Fuelling the stand-off are new European Union directives on traceability and the social and environmental impact of agricultural products, which will have major repercussions across the entire sector. [...]

Kenya's deputy president has been tasked with overhauling the coffee sector, which is vital to the economy of his native region. He wants to create new institutions to revive a once highly lucrative crop that has been in a slump for decades. [...]

Published on 27/01/2023 at 06:00 GMT Reading time 2 minutes

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Commodity traders

Read this article in our running story

“East Africa's hotly contested coffee sector”

East Africa

East Africa's hotly contested coffee sector

Set up email notifications for these topics

Agriculture and Food Authority
C.Dorman
Coffee Board of Kenya
Coffee Cherry Advance Revolving Fund
Coffee Regulatory Authority
Coffee Sub-Sector Reforms Implementation Standing Committee
Ecom
Joseph Kieyah
Louis Dreyfus Co
Neumann Kaffee Gruppe
Olam Food Ingredients
Peter Munya
Rigathi Gachagua
Tea Board of Kenya
Uhuru Kenyatta
William Ruto

Kenya
Ruto retakes control of key coffee and tea industry reforms

The Kenyan leader seems increasingly inclined to listen to other members of the government involved in agricultural reform. Until now, this had been the preserve of the deputy president.

Subscribers only Politics, Business 30.05.2024

Kenya's President William Ruto (L) and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua in Nairobi on 20 October 2022.

Kenya
Starbucks pours cold water on Gachagua's plans

The US mega-chain has decided not to buy its coffee directly from Kenyan producers. This is unwelcome news for the country's deputy president, who has been tussling with multinational traders and is now trying to smooth things over.

Subscribers only Commodity traders, Politics 21.11.2023

Kenya's Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua in Bogota, Colombia, on 12 September 2023.

Kenya
Deputy President Gachagua single-handedly steers ambitious coffee reform

Rigathi Gachagua, who has been tasked with revitalising Kenya's coffee industry, has dismissed a number of experts and officials in the sector. He is also using his open war on multinational trading companies to try to consolidate his political base.

Subscribers only Commodity traders 29.08.2023

Rigathi Gachagua (left) and William Ruto, 30 June 2022.

Kenya
Kenyan tea producers call for government help with tax issues

Kenya's tea industry still fears competition from Tanzania and is calling on the government to support the sector's local development.

Subscribers only Business 21.08.2023

Egypt, Kenya
Cairo and Nairobi close to striking deal on tea trade

While President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is slated to travel to Nairobi for the AU mid-year summit, Egypt and Kenya are making progress on a trade treaty on tea that has been in the pipeline for months.

Free access Commodity traders, Diplomacy 13.07.2023

Egyptian president Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto.

Kenya
By targeting foreign traders, deputy president alienates part of coffee industry

Rigathi Gachagua wants to get the multinationals out of the trading business and to encourage the development of national traders. But the three market leaders have made themselves indispensable to financing the sector.

Subscribers only Commodity traders 28.06.2023

Kenyan Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

Kenya
Gachagua's coffee sector reforms challenge dominance of foreign traders

Kenya's deputy president is determined to reform the coffee sector and improve the situation of local traders in relation to foreign heavyweights.

Subscribers only Commodity traders 03.02.2023

Kenya
Deputy President Gachagua aims to reign over Mount Kenya

By uniting his allies from Kenya's central region, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua aims to establish his own political fiefdom. His plans have raised concerns, however, among some of President Ruto's allies, who fear he is trying to go solo.

Subscribers only Politics 18.01.2023

Kenyan Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua at his swearing-in ceremony in Nairobi last September.

Kenya
Ruto retains Kenyatta's coffee task force

The team put in place by the previous administration to reform the coffee sector has managed to survive the post-election transition, thanks in large part to the intervention of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

Subscribers only Politics 30.11.2022

Kenya
Kenyatta fails to deliver key coffee sector reform

Kenya's coffee sector, once the flagship of national agriculture, is in trouble. The president's plans to reform it have been undermined by tension between the agriculture ministry, the senate and the national assembly, and will probably not happen before he leaves office.

Subscribers only Commodity traders, Politics 05.07.2022

Employees process coffee at the Central Kenya Coffee Mill near Nyeri, Kenya.

Inner circles | Kenya
Reborn Tea Board of Kenya champions Kenyatta's tea policy

In re-establishing the iconic Tea Board of Kenya, the Kenyan president hopes to regain control of the country's tea sector, Nairobi's primary source of export revenue.

Subscribers only Politics, Business 22.04.2022

Set up email notifications for these topics

Agriculture and Food Authority
C.Dorman
Coffee Board of Kenya
Coffee Cherry Advance Revolving Fund
Coffee Regulatory Authority
Coffee Sub-Sector Reforms Implementation Standing Committee
Ecom
Joseph Kieyah
Louis Dreyfus Co
Neumann Kaffee Gruppe
Olam Food Ingredients
Peter Munya
Rigathi Gachagua
Tea Board of Kenya
Uhuru Kenyatta
William Ruto

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Kenya
Gachagua seeks to revive glory days of Kenya's coffee sector

East Africa's hotly contested coffee sector

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East Africa's hotly contested coffee sector

Set up email notifications for these topics

Kenya
Ruto retakes control of key coffee and tea industry reforms

Kenya
Starbucks pours cold water on Gachagua's plans

Kenya
Deputy President Gachagua single-handedly steers ambitious coffee reform

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Kenyan tea producers call for government help with tax issues

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Cairo and Nairobi close to striking deal on tea trade

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By targeting foreign traders, deputy president alienates part of coffee industry

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Gachagua's coffee sector reforms challenge dominance of foreign traders

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Deputy President Gachagua aims to reign over Mount Kenya

Kenya
Ruto retains Kenyatta's coffee task force

Kenya
Kenyatta fails to deliver key coffee sector reform

Inner circles | Kenya
Reborn Tea Board of Kenya champions Kenyatta's tea policy

Set up email notifications for these topics

About Africa Intelligence

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Africa Intelligence on social media

Indigo Publications' websites

About Africa Intelligence

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Indigo Publications' websites

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East Africa's hotly contested coffee sector

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Kenya Gachagua seeks to revive glory days of Kenya's coffee sector

East Africa's hotly contested coffee sector

This article may be accessed by subscribers

Do you want a free trial before subscribing?

Create your free account

create a free account

East Africa's hotly contested coffee sector

Set up email notifications for these topics

Kenya Ruto retakes control of key coffee and tea industry reforms

Kenya Starbucks pours cold water on Gachagua's plans

Kenya Deputy President Gachagua single-handedly steers ambitious coffee reform

Kenya Kenyan tea producers call for government help with tax issues

Egypt, Kenya Cairo and Nairobi close to striking deal on tea trade

Kenya By targeting foreign traders, deputy president alienates part of coffee industry

Kenya Gachagua's coffee sector reforms challenge dominance of foreign traders

Kenya Deputy President Gachagua aims to reign over Mount Kenya

Kenya Ruto retains Kenyatta's coffee task force

Kenya Kenyatta fails to deliver key coffee sector reform

Inner circles | Kenya Reborn Tea Board of Kenya champions Kenyatta's tea policy

Set up email notifications for these topics

About Africa Intelligence

Subscription

Africa Intelligence on social media

Indigo Publications' websites

Senegal
Guns and oil drive Russia's Dakar courtship

Botswana, South Africa
From Gaborone to Antwerp, is De Beers's empire on the rocks?

Kenya
Gachagua seeks to revive glory days of Kenya's coffee sector

Kenya
Ruto retakes control of key coffee and tea industry reforms

Kenya
Starbucks pours cold water on Gachagua's plans

Kenya
Deputy President Gachagua single-handedly steers ambitious coffee reform

Kenya
Kenyan tea producers call for government help with tax issues

Egypt, Kenya
Cairo and Nairobi close to striking deal on tea trade

Kenya
By targeting foreign traders, deputy president alienates part of coffee industry

Kenya
Gachagua's coffee sector reforms challenge dominance of foreign traders

Kenya
Deputy President Gachagua aims to reign over Mount Kenya

Kenya
Ruto retains Kenyatta's coffee task force

Kenya
Kenyatta fails to deliver key coffee sector reform

Inner circles | Kenya
Reborn Tea Board of Kenya champions Kenyatta's tea policy