Kenya’s coffee sector has undergone a decisive governance shift with the commencement of the Coffee Act, 2023, which transfers regulatory authority from the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) to the re-established Coffee Board of Kenya (CBK). The new law ends the AFA Coffee Directorate’s oversight role and vests full regulatory functions, including policy enforcement, licensing, market oversight, and promotion, in the Coffee Board.

Under the previous framework, coffee was regulated through the AFA Coffee Directorate pursuant to the Crops Act, 2013 and its subsidiary regulations; this arrangement has now been superseded. The Coffee Act reinstates a standalone, sector-dedicated regulator to streamline decision-making, reduce bureaucratic overlap, and strengthen accountability across the value chain.

All coffee licensing and regulatory engagements, including those covering millers, marketers, warehousemen, exporters, and buyers, should now be directed to the Coffee Board of Kenya. Coffee regulation in Kenya is no longer under the AFA Coffee Directorate; it is now under the Coffee Board of Kenya, as established by the Coffee Act, 2023.