A transformative coffee farming initiative spearheaded by Nandi Woman Representative Cynthia Muge is changing the lives of thousands of women across the county.
The programme, dubbed 'Kahawa na Mama', is revitalizing the region's coffee sector while empowering rural women to become financially independent.
The ambitious grassroots programme launched shortly after the 2022 general elections is anchored on four transformative pillars: women's economic empowerment, agricultural revival, grassroots self-reliance, and environmental sustainability.
Muge, who rose to prominence as the youngest MCA in 2017 and now serves her first term in Parliament, says the project was inspired by what she saw during her campaign tours, women working tirelessly on farms yet excluded from the financial benefits of cash crops. "Most women do the hard labour on farms but have no control over the income. 'Kahawa na Mama' changes that by giving them direct ownership of coffee trees, access to training, and connections to markets," she said during the launch of second phase in Maraba primary school in Aldai Sub County In its pilot year (2023/2024), the project distributed over 150,000 certified Ruiru 11 and Batian coffee seedlings to 900 women organized into 63 self-help groups.
