Written by: Oswald Niyonzima
Rwanda has surpassed Uganda to become Kenya’s leading source of imported coffee, marking another milestone in the country’s steady rise as a regional and global specialty coffee producer.
Data from Kenya’s Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) for the quarter ending September 2025 shows Rwanda accounted for 43 percent of all coffee imported into Kenya, reflecting growing confidence in the quality of Rwandan beans.
The development comes amid a sharp decline in Uganda’s coffee exports to Kenya, which fell from $1.13 million (KSh145.79 million) to $0.48 million (KSh61.92 million) during the same period, despite higher average prices per unit. Market analysts attribute the shift to changing demand patterns, with Kenyan roasters increasingly seeking traceable, specialty-grade coffee—an area where Rwanda has invested consistently over the past two decades.
Overall, the value of Kenya’s coffee imports rose by 11.8 percent to $1.64 million (KSh212.13 million), even as import volumes declined slightly by 2.9 percent. The figures point to a move away from bulk coffee toward higher-value beans, benefiting producers able to meet strict quality and sustainability standards.
For Rwanda, the gains in the Kenyan market align with the country’s broader coffee export performance.
According to the National Agricultural Export Development Board (NAEB), Rwanda exports between 20,000 and 23,000 tonnes of coffee annually, generating between $90 million and $100 million in foreign exchange earnings.
Coffee remains one of Rwanda’s top agricultural exports and a key source of income for more than 400,000 smallholder farmers nationwide.
Rwanda’s success is largely driven by investments in coffee washing stations, farmer cooperatives, and quality control systems that emphasize fully washed Arabica coffee for the specialty market.
These efforts have helped position Rwandan coffee competitively in regional markets such as Kenya, while also strengthening its presence in high-value destinations in Europe, Asia, and North America.
Although Kenya is itself a major coffee producer, it continues to import coffee mainly for blending, roasting, and re-export.
On the export front, Kenyan coffee sold directly abroad continues to attract premium prices, with Singapore and Hungary paying the highest average rates.
Singapore, in particular, paid about KSh72,242.66 ($560) per 50-kilogram bag, highlighting sustained global demand for premium East African coffee.
Rwanda’s emergence as Kenya’s top coffee supplier underscores the impact of long-term value addition and quality-focused policies in strengthening the country’s agricultural exports.
