Oparanya Extends Coffee Exchange Transition Committee by One Year
Cabinet Secretary for Co-operatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Wycliffe Oparanya has extended the term of the Working Committee overseeing the transition of the Nairobi Coffee Exchange into a capital markets–regulated trading framework.
In a gazette notice dated June 12, 2026, Oparanya said the committee’s mandate has been extended by one year with effect from June 12, 2026.
“It is notified for the general information of the public that the Cabinet Secretary for Co-operatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, as the Chairperson of the National Steering Committee to the Board on Coffee Reforms, has extended the term of the Working Committee to manage the transition of the Nairobi Coffee Exchange into the framework of coffee exchanges as provided for in the Capital Markets (Coffee Exchange) Regulations and the Crops (Coffee) (General) Regulations for a period of one (1) year with effect from the 12th June, 2026,” the notice reads.
The Working Committee was first appointed in February 2025 to steer reforms aimed at modernising coffee trading, improving farmer earnings, and enhancing transparency in the sector through Capital Markets Authority (CMA) oversight.
In the earlier reconstitution, Kenneth Gitonga was named chairperson, alongside members Jackie Muia, Amos Mamboleo, Irene Kabochi, Roselyne Chepkirui, Luka Rotich, Job Kihumba, Raphael Anampiu and Elphas Tarus.
The committee is tasked with overseeing the transition of the Nairobi Coffee Exchange into the capital markets framework, including reviewing legal ownership structures, advising on asset and liability transfers, and developing a governance model for the new exchange.
It is also mandated to guide human resource restructuring, support licensing processes with the CMA, and propose policy and legislative reforms to strengthen the coffee sector.
In addition, the committee is expected to benchmark global coffee trading practices, recommend stakeholder collaboration frameworks, and form sub-committees where necessary to support implementation.
“The Working Committee shall remain in office for 12 months from the date of publication of this notice and the Cabinet Secretary may extend the term of the Working Committee,” the notice further states.
The reforms are being implemented amid ongoing legal challenges from a section of coffee brokers who have moved to court seeking to block the new Capital Markets (Coffee Exchange) Regulations, 2024.
The brokers argue that the new framework reduces their commission from two per cent to one per cent and introduces additional charges, including a 0.3 per cent coffee exchange fee, a 0.2 per cent CMA statutory fee, and a direct settlement system provider fee.
Under the previous arrangement, brokers earned a two per cent agency fee from gross sales, paid in US dollars.