Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii Chelilim says the county has expanded coffee farming by 1,600 acres in the last three years through the distribution of 1.6 million coffee seedlings, as part of efforts to transform agriculture into a key driver of economic growth.
Speaking during a distribution exercise on Tuesday, August 19, 2026, the Governor announced a strategic plan to increase coffee acreage in the county to over 5,000 acres.
“With a clear vision of having every family in our county grow coffee, we are transforming farming into a key driver of economic growth and working towards growing our people’s economy into double digits,” Governor Bii said.
102,808 Coffee Seedlings Distributed in Turbo
The Governor distributed 102,808 coffee seedlings at the Leseru Chief’s Office to beneficiaries from Kamagut, Kiplombe, Kapsaos, and Huruma wards.
He noted that 157,187 seedlings were distributed across Turbo Sub-County on the same day, marking what he termed a significant milestone in the county’s coffee revival program.
“At the heart of our wealth creation strategy lies a paradigm shift towards coffee farming, and over the past three years, we have distributed 1.6 million coffee seedlings to farmers across the county,” he added.
Later in the day at Tiret Grounds, Governor Bii flagged off the countywide distribution of over one million coffee seedlings.
He said 54,379 seedlings had been allocated to beneficiaries from Tapsagoi and Ng’enyilel wards as part of the exercise.
Cheramei Coffee Milling Plant Underway
The Governor also disclosed that the Cheramei Coffee Milling Plant is steadily taking shape.
He said the facility will revolutionize value addition in the coffee sector and create better incomes and opportunities for farmers.
“The Cheramei Coffee Milling Plant is steadily taking shape and will revolutionize value addition in our coffee sector, creating greater incomes and opportunities for our farmers,” Bii stated.
Uasin Gishu, branded as the “County of Champions”, is banking on coffee as one of the flagship crops to boost household incomes and reduce reliance on maize farming.
The county government says the expansion program targets to ensure coffee becomes a cash crop for every household while strengthening the local economy through processing and export.
