In the sun-baked fields of Kenya’s Coast region, a crop once consigned to memory is pushing through the soil again. Cotton, whose decline over decades unravelled a thriving local textile industry and left farmers destitute, is staging a cautious comeback. The catalyst: a strategic, twin-pronged investment in modern ginning facilities that promises to recalibrate the entire agricultural economy of the area. Yet this revival unfolds against a stark national backdrop: a crippling disparity between domestic cotton supply and demand that has long undermined Kenya’s textile ambitions.
The construction of two new ginneries—a state-backed project in Kwale and a private venture in Lamu established by Thika Cloth Mills (TCM)—is more than mere infrastructure. It is a bet on resuscitating a full value chain, long fractured by prohibitive costs and inefficiencies that forced farmers to transport their crop hundreds of kilometres to distant processors. For farmers like Asthman Mwadime in Kwale, this industrial activity represents a tangible shift in fortune. “We can now farm with confidence, knowing we have a ready buyer,” he says. His sentiment echoes across a region where the absence of a reliable market saw cotton fields lie fallow for a generation.
However, this local optimism contrasts sharply with national data. Kenya’ cotton production has plummeted catastrophically over the past decade. The area under cultivation collapsed from 28,267 hectares in 2015 to just 8,585 hectares in 2022, accompanied by a devastating drop in yield from 650 kg/ha to a mere 127 kg/ha . By 2025, production remains stagnant at approximately 5,000 bales (of 480 lbs each), a figure that has shown no growth year-on-year . This paltry output exists within a context of massive underutilized capacity; of Kenya’s 23 ginneries, only eight remain operational, running at a mere 14% of their potential capacity .
This precipitous decline has created a yawning chasm between supply and demand. While domestic production languishes around 5,000 bales, Kenya’s annual demand for cotton lint is estimated to be between 140,000 and 260,000 bales . To bridge this gap, the country has become heavily reliant on imports, which reached 103,586 bales of yarn in 2023 alone . This dependency underscores a stark reality: Kenya’s textile industry, a sector with the potential to be a major employer, is forced to look outward to keep its spindles turning, undermining the “Buy Kenya, Build Kenya” initiative.
The causes of this decline are multifaceted. Farmers faced volatile and often unprofitable prices, a lack of access to modern inputs, and competition from imported second-hand clothes (mitumba), which stifled demand for local textiles . The high cost of transporting seed cotton to distant ginneries in Meru or Kitui further eroded profit margins for coastal farmers, making the crop an increasingly unattractive gamble .
The new investments directly address these logistical and market barriers. Jackson Ndurya, chair of a Kwale cotton cooperative, highlights the transformative impact: “Previously, we spent too much on transport… Now we’ll deliver cotton right here at home.” Furthermore, TCM’s guaranteed price of Sh72 per kilo, upheld despite lower global prices, provides a crucial financial safety net for farmers .
The national government is complementing these efforts with broader interventions. The approval of high-yielding, pest-resistant BT cotton seeds aims to boost productivity dramatically from the current abysmal yields . Learning from Africa’s top producer, a recent delegation to Benin sought insights to replicate their success, where yields average 600kg/ha compared to Kenya’s 368kg/ha .
Nevertheless, the path to revival is fraught with challenges. As Raymond Charo of the Magarini Cooperative cautions, momentum depends on the timely distribution of certified seeds . Furthermore, the industry must navigate global headwinds; worldwide cotton supplies are expected to be tight in 2025, which could pressure prices and input costs .
The ginneries in Kwale and Lamu are not merely processing plants; they are potent symbols of a broader ambition. They represent a bid to rethread the entire cotton value chain, from farmer to garment, and to weave Kenya back into the global textile map. While the project’s immediate aim is to import substitution and job creation—with the Lamu facility alone expected to support 5,000 jobs—its ultimate success hinges on solving the systemic issues that caused the national industry to unravel in the first place . The future of Kenya’s cotton industry depends on its ability to transform these pockets of coastal promise into a nationwide reality.
