Poor management of coffee mill pushes farmers to private entities

Governor Mwangi wa Iria during a tour of Ecomill. [PHOTO: BONIFACE GIKANDI/STANDARD]

Murang’a Kenya: Poor management is to blame for the under-performance of the only coffee mill in Murang'a County.

That coupled with the low payment made to farmers last year has almost made operations at the Eastern Aberdares Coffee Co-operative Mill (Ecomill) to grind to a halt, three years after it started milling.

Sources reveal that most of the 140 coffee co-operative societies have cancelled milling contracts with the miller citing poor payments, which has made them prefer private millers.

In addition, most of the Ecomill leadership has migrated to private millers despite a promise by the county government to support them.

Farmers' lack of confidence in the miller arose after the miller last year offered them Sh40 per kilogramme while private millers offered an average Sh65.

Ecomill has been under the management of Murang'a Farmers Co-operative Union with an independent board of directors.

Efforts to get comment from County Co-operative Development Executive Edward Muiruri were futile as he could not be reached.

However, the Assembly's Water and Co-operative Development Committee chairman Joseph Machiri said they are working towards creating an enabling structure that would guide the operations at the mill.

He regretted the move by the societies to transact with commercial millers.

He revealed that a bill that is yet to be tabled has proposed radical changes in the coffee sector aimed at revamping it.

An audit firm hired by the county government has unearthed challenges facing the union including unexplained bad debt, under valued assets and lack of credible financial control.