Kenya, a land of breathtaking diversity, is endowed with magnificent landscapes and nature. From the pristine beaches of the Indian Ocean to the majestic Rift Valley, there are vast savannahs teeming with wildlife, lush forests, towering mountains, and serene highlands.
Kenya's Diverse Topography.
A Nation Defined by Its Natural Wealth
Kenya's territory lies on the equator and overlies the East African Rift, covering a diverse and expansive terrain that extends roughly from Lake Victoria to Lake Turkana (formerly called Lake Rudolf) and further south-east to the Indian Ocean. It is bordered by Tanzania to the south and southwest, Uganda to the west, South Sudan to the north-west, Ethiopia to the north, and Somalia to the north-east. Kenya covers 581,309 km2 and has a population of approximately 45 million people.
Kenya is endowed with a wealth of natural resources and is famously known for its safaris, diverse climate and geography, and expansive wildlife reserves and national parks such as the East and West Tsavo National Park, the Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru National Park, and Aberdares National Park. In Kenya, more than 40 national parks and game reserves have been set aside for the conservation of wildlife and natural habitat. In total Kenya has 22 national parks, 28 national reserves, 5 national marine parks, 5 national sanctuaries and 2 national animal orphanages which are managed by Kenya Wildlife Service. The government only manages about 8 percent of the total landmass of the country that contain natural resources. Most of it is located within the community especially the wildlife.
Kenya’s natural resource base are mainly forests, wetlands, dry-land, aquatic and marine resources. These natural resources include: limestone, soda ash, salt, gemstones, fluorspar, zinc, diatomite, oil, gas, gypsum, wildlife and hydropower.
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The Importance of Natural Resources to Kenya's Economy
Kenya’s economy is intricately woven with these landscapes. It relies on climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture, energy, tourism, pastoralism, industry, fishing and forestry. Forests also maintain over 75% of the country's surface water, providing a vital service for people, irrigated agriculture and hydroelectric power production.
Millions of people visit Kenya each year to see its endless savanna and the animals that inhabit it: elephants, lions, cheetahs, giraffes, zebras, hippos, rhinos, and more. People seeking African wildlife usually focus on Kenya's lowland savannas. But Kenya's ecosystems also include deserts, swamps, mountains, and forests. Each region has its own mix of plants and animals that are suited to the area's particular conditions. Kenya's highland forests are home to many animals found nowhere else in the world.
The iconic Kenyan savanna, home to diverse wildlife.
Climate Change and Conservation Efforts
The looming threat of climate change is not just a concern for Kenya’s ecosystems, but also for the lives and livelihoods of the people who depend on them. The Government of Kenya has identified and prioritized climate change, land degradation, biodiversity loss, pollution, depletion of natural resources and sustainable waste management as urgent issues requiring targeted interventions for inter- and intra-generational equity. The WRI Kenya team works with national and local governments, businesses and civil society to address these challenges.
In Kenya, TNC is working to protect Kenya’s natural resources-from fertile soil to grow crops to elephants that fuel its tourism industry.
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Challenges in the Coffee Industry
Kenyan coffee holds a special place in the hearts and minds of specialty coffee buyers and roasters. However, there are challenges facing the industry. During one of his “yes or no” Instagram Q&As, Scott Rao lamented the declining quality of Kenyan coffees over the last three years-a sentiment I’ve heard echoed by buyers across Europe, the US, and Australia.
The most common theory explaining the apparent decline in quality of Kenyan coffees rests the blame with an increase in Ruiru 11 and Batian in the lots (and, concurrently, a decline in SL-28 and SL-34). About 25 years ago, Kenya’s coffee production was about triple what it is today. Kenya’s acreage under coffee production has decreased by over 30 percent from about 170,000 hectares in early 1990s to about 119,000 hectare in 2020. The production of the cash crop has also decreased by a whopping 70 percent from a peak of 129,000 metric tons in 1983-84 coffee year to about 40,000 metric tons currently.
In Kenya, if a producer has less than 5 acres, they legally need a coop or society to process and market their coffees. The best co-ops might have financing available to producers as well as traceability and receipt systems in place to maintain some transparency as coffee passes through the export system.
Commercial financing rates for coffee producers in Kenya are higher than 20%, effectively making them agricultural payday loans. Co-ops often offer lower rates-but still higher than 10%. In total, at the time of my last visit to Kenya in 2016 there were just 45 export licenses for coffee in the entire country.
I stopped working there not because I don’t love the coffee or think it’s too expensive-but because it’s too opaque, too indirect, too diffuse. Many of the quality challenges, I think, can be solved through appropriate economic and fiduciary mechanisms and policies. Further, small scale mills and micro mills like those in Colombia and those we’re starting to see in Ethiopia would help producers differentiate their own products as well as establish a level of traceability and separation not accessible through the current system.
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Table: Key Facts About Kenya's Coffee Industry
| Aspect | Data/Description |
|---|---|
| Coffee Production Decline | About 70% decrease from the peak in 1983-84 |
| Coffee Acreage Decrease | Over 30% decrease from early 1990s to 2020 |
| Dominant Coffee Varieties | Shift from SL-28 and SL-34 to Ruiru 11 and Batian |
| Export Licenses | Only 45 in the entire country as of 2016 |
| Financing Rates | Commercial rates above 20%, co-op rates above 10% |
Colonial Legacy and Its Impact
As a colony of the British crown, the settlers were tasked with paying for construction of the railway and the export of coffee was expanded rapidly to settle the debt. Of the larger export companies still operating in Kenya, many have their roots in the colonial period, such as Dorman’s, which was founded in the 1950s, and Taylor Winch in the 1960s.
As you may well know - British settlers sought to exclude Kenyan farmers from coffee production (and until the 1950s, they had largely succeeded in doing so). The institutional legacy of the coffee marketing structure in the colonial period has chronically pervaded the prevailing structures today.
Kenya has several world heritage sites such as Lamu and numerous beaches, including in Diani, Bamburi and Kilifi, where international yachting competitions are held every year.
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