By Antynet Ford

Kenya’s largest honey company has opened nominations for a landmark programme to launch 20 farmers groups per county in beekeeping with loans, equipment, training, technical support, and guaranteed markets for five years.

Savannah Honey, which was last week named  one of Kenya’s 100 most dependable brands by the Dependable Brands Africa Awards in Nairobi, unveiled the 2026 initiative for community-based organisations as it was recognised for its outstanding achievement in community impact in 2025.

“It will be a first-come, first-served basis with farmers in groups of not more than twenty and CBOs qualifying for our guarantee scheme, but individuals who can demonstrate their ability to repay the loan will also be welcomed. Through this model, farmers will receive equipment upfront, while Savannah Honey supports them for five years with free training, installations, and technical assistance,” said Savannah Honey Chief Executive Officer Kyalo Mutua. 

The company has partnered with key financial institutions in the country, including Equity Bank, and development partners to provide farmers modern beekeeping equipment, free training programmes, and five years of expert technical assistance. Under the arrangement, Savannah Honey will also guarantee a ready market for honey, propolis, royal jelly, wax, and bee venom at fixed contract prices.

The company will act as a guarantor for farmer groups of up to twenty members, enabling them to access affordable credit to acquire beekeeping equipment, which they will then repay within a year.

According to the CEO, for a group of CBO to qualify for the financial guarantorship, they will need to prove their ability to repay the loans within a year.

He added that while the technical support including installation of new hives and on-farm advisory services will be offered at no cost, farmers will be required to cover the transport fare for the field teams visiting their farms.

Under the five-year contract, Savannah Honey guarantees farmers fixed prices for all their bee products: Sh500 per kilo of honey, Sh1,900 for propolis, Sh6,800 for bee pollen, Sh700 for wax, Sh38,000 for royal jelly, and Sh4,000 per gram of bee venom. These prices, said Mutua, are significantly higher than the prevailing market rates, where many middlemen still pay as little as Sh150–200 per kilo for raw honey.

“Our goal is to help farmers unlock the enormous potential of beekeeping. By providing modern equipment, free training, five years of technical support, and a guaranteed market, we are de-risking the entire value chain and enabling farmers to earn more,” he said.

To nominate groups for the scheme, Savannah Honey has opened a nomination form on https://forms.gle/W1XFbfsT2ZYidNMLA and can also be contacted about the scheme on 0724052975.

Savannah’s launch model addresses long-standing challenges in the beekeeping sector, including poor hive management, limited training, crude harvesting techniques, and unreliable buyers. Through the structured contract, farmers maintain ownership of their harvest while enjoying assured market access. Payments are made via M-Pesa, bank transfer, or cash.

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Beyond boosting incomes, the initiative seeks to raise awareness among rural communities about the untapped economic potential of beekeeping. Mutua said many farmers are unaware of how profitable the enterprise can be, particularly when supported with modern equipment and proper extension services.

“We’re changing that. This is not just about supplying hives we’re building a national movement to make beekeeping accessible, profitable, and sustainable,” he said.

This year, Savannah Honey has set an ambitious target of collecting 210,000 tonnes of honey, aiming to drastically reduce Kenya’s reliance on imported honey while increasing household incomes across the country.

Farmers can join the programme at any time of the year by signing a five-year contract with Savannah Honey. 

“We are ready to support farmers across the country as soon as they express interest,” said Mutua.

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