Authorities declare West Kano society illegal

Kisumu County departments of Agriculture and Trade will tomorrow meet to seal the fate of West Kano Farmers’ Cooperative Society.

This follows recommendation by the Department of Trade to have the society disbanded after an audit revealed that it was operating illegally.

The revelation comes barely a week after a section of the society leadership were summoned by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission over their roles in the loss of Sh100 million revolving fund said to have been unaccounted for between 2010 and 2015.

And this latest move may further throw farmers south, as the society is the one which has been managing the operations at the 2, 300 acre rice scheme in Nyando.

Its roles include managing the over Sh60 million farm machinery, running the farming program, marketing of produce as well as representing the interests of the over 700 farmers in various relevant forums.

Ahead of the meeting, County Executive Member for Trade and Industrialization Alice Moraa confirmed the intentions to shut the operations of the society for not having been formed nor managed within the laws guiding such entities.

She however allayed any fears of the move interrupting farming activities at the scheme, saying her intentions are aimed at revolutionizing the scheme.

“Our interventions are meant to cushion farmers, because we can no longer allow the society to operate in its current state,” she said.

Her Agriculture counterpart Gilchrist Okuom said the disbandment would be a blessing in disguise for the farmers, as his office has received a lot of complains from the farmers who expressed discontent with the operations of the society.

According to Okuom, a caretaker committee may be formed to oversee the scheme’s operations before order is restored.