By Faith Anene, Kakamega
Cooperatives and SMEs Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya has urged farmers in Kakamega County to embrace coffee farming as it’s more profitable as compared to other crops.
Addressing farmers in Ikolomani and Butere sub-counties during a coffee sensitisation forum, Mr Oparanya said the time had come for the region to rethink its agricultural priorities.
He argued that coffee farming offered better returns compared to sugarcane, which has long dominated farming in the area despite growing concerns over its declining profitability.
He told farmers that embracing coffee could transform livelihoods, even for those with small plots of land. “Even with just an acre,” he said, “a farmer can earn enough to live a decent life.”
He added that coffee farmers who had accessed support through cooperatives and government funding schemes such as the Coffee Cherry Advance Revolving Fund were already doing better economically than many of their peers who had stuck with traditional crops.
“We are working with chiefs and assistant chiefs to pass on this message to residents,” …..“but we also need MPs and MCAs to support us by educating the public and moving away from petty politics.”~ CS Oparanya
Mr Oparanya said the government was committed to supporting farmers through cooperatives, which he described as a critical pillar in the revival of Kenya’s once-thriving coffee sector. He noted that farmers who had joined such groups had greater access to financing, agronomic advice, and markets.
He also called on local political leaders to throw their weight behind efforts to revive coffee farming. “We are working with chiefs and assistant chiefs to pass on this message to residents,” he said, “but we also need MPs and MCAs to support us by educating the public and moving away from petty politics.”
The CS argued that coffee farming aligned with President William Ruto’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, which focuses on improving livelihoods through agriculture and value chain development in neglected regions.
At the same time, Mr Oparanya used the platform to distance himself from local politics, saying his current focus was on national service delivery. Responding to growing speculation over his political ambitions in Kakamega, he said: “I am not here to play politics. If I must, I will engage in national politics. I am eyeing senior positions, not local ones.”
He also criticised those he accused of trying to drag him into political succession battles ahead of the 2027 elections, urging leaders to focus on service delivery. “Stop involving me in junior matters you can solve on your own,” he said.
Mr Oparanya also dismissed as false claims circulating on social media that Azimio leader Raila Odinga was diverting development projects from Western Kenya to his home region in Nyanza.
He described the accusations as “divisive” and “misleading”, and called on citizens to rise above regional politics and work together to rebuild the economy.
Experts say Western Kenya, particularly Kakamega, has strong potential for coffee cultivation thanks to its favourable climate and fertile soils. The region was once home to thriving coffee farms, but production has declined due to mismanagement, lack of incentives, and competition from sugarcane.
Nationally, Kenya’s coffee sector has also struggled in recent decades. Production peaked in the 1980s at over 130,000 metric tonnes but has since dropped by more than half.
