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The new Coffee Board of Kenya chair is former Cabinet minister and Embu senator Njeru Peter Ndwiga, appointed by President William Ruto for a three-year term that began on October 30, 2026. The appointment was made through Gazette Notice No. 16957, which also revokes the earlier appointment of Henry Gichuhi Kinyua to the same seat.
The notice reads: “In exercise of the powers conferred by section 7 (1) (a) of the Coffee Act, I, William Samoei Ruto, President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces, appoint Njeru Peter Ndwiga to be the Non-Executive Chairperson of the Coffee Board of Kenya, for a period of three (3) years, with effect from the 30th October, 2026.”
Who is the new Coffee Board of Kenya chair?
Ndwiga served as Minister for Cooperative Development and Marketing in the late President Mwai Kibaki’s government from 2002 to 2007. Most of Kenya’s smallholder coffee is grown by farmers who sell through cooperative societies, so that ministry dealt directly with the sector.
Before becoming Coffee Board of Kenya chair, he was elected Senator for Embu County, serving from 2017 to 2022 on a Jubilee Party ticket. During that term he chaired the Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. Embu is one of the coffee-growing counties on the slopes of Mt Kenya.
What happens to Henry Gichuhi Kinyua?
Kinyua’s appointment as Coffee Board of Kenya chair had been published in Gazette Notice No. 14143 of 2026 on September 4, less than two months before the new notice revoked it.
In a separate notice taking effect the same day, Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe appointed Kinyua as Non-Executive Chairperson of the Council of the Coffee Research and Training Institute of Kenya, also for three years from October 30, 2026. Kinyua is a former Nyeri County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture and a former chair of the New Kenya Planters Co-operative Union (New KPCU).
Other appointments made with the Coffee Board of Kenya chair
In Gazette Notice No. 16956, issued on the same date, the President appointed former Bura MP Ali Wario as Non-Executive Chairperson of the Kenya National Council for Population and Development, also for three years from October 30. Wario served two terms as Bura MP and was an Assistant Minister for Home Affairs from 2003 to 2006.
For how such seats are filled and what board members are paid, see our guide to state corporation board seats in Kenya.
What the Coffee Board of Kenya chair oversees
The Coffee Board of Kenya is the sector regulator set up under the Coffee Act. The Coffee Board of Kenya chair leads the board as it oversees a market that is now in the main harvest season.
At the latest weekly auction on record, Sale 4 of the 2026/27 season, the Nairobi Coffee Exchange sold 21,636 bags for KSh1.01 billion, at an average of US$294.26 (KSh38,236) per 50kg bag. AA grade averaged US$339.90 (about KSh44,200) a bag. Full grade prices and top buyers are in our Nairobi Coffee Exchange auction report.
Farmers who need credit against their coffee deliveries can compare cooperative options such as the Wakulima Sacco kahawa loans. In the neighbouring tea sector, the regulator recently suspended the 0.8% tea levy after a court order.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the current Coffee Board of Kenya chair?
Njeru Peter Ndwiga, a former Cabinet minister and Embu senator, appointed for three years from October 30, 2026 under Gazette Notice No. 16957.
Who did Ndwiga replace as Coffee Board of Kenya chair?
Henry Gichuhi Kinyua, whose appointment under Gazette Notice No. 14143 of September 4, 2026 was revoked by the new notice.
What is Henry Gichuhi Kinyua’s new role?
CS Mutahi Kagwe appointed him Non-Executive Chairperson of the Council of the Coffee Research and Training Institute of Kenya for three years from October 30, 2026.
Under which law is the Coffee Board of Kenya chair appointed?
The President appoints the non-executive chairperson under section 7 (1) (a) of the Coffee Act.
Updated November 2026.
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