Farmers oppose construction of Sh100m coffee factory

By MUNENE KAMAU

BY KIRINYAGA COUNTY: Coffee farmers in Kirinyaga County have distanced themselves from plans to construct a multi-million shilling milling plant for their produce.

The sentiments were expressed during a forum organised by the county government for coffee farmers at Kibirigwi trading centre, Kirinyaga West District.

The meeting had been called to deliberate on how to revitalise the once lucrative coffee industry by empowering farmers to have the final say regarding milling and marketing of the produce.

More than 600 farmers drawn from Mwerua and Kibirigwi Farmers Co-operative Societies unanimously rejected building of the factory alleging that they were never consulted.

The irritated farmers were reacting to remarks by the County Executive Committee member for Agriculture, Mr Wambu Miano, who had brought up the issue of the proposed Sh100 million milling plant.

The factory is to be built on a two-acre parcel of land at Kimicha village near Kutus.

Mr Charles Karani, who was among participants at the meeting, said majority of the coffee farmers had abandoned the crop after unscrupulous cartels allegedly working in cahoots with unnamed government officials ran down the sector, and that the proposed mill was only a ploy to milk them further of their proceeds.

“Corruption and mismanagement in the sector is so grave that high ranking Government officials and management committees in the 15 Coffee Co-operative Societies are even paying goons to silence dissenting farmers,” Mr Karani alleged to the amazement of Deputy Governor Julius Njiiri, present at the forum.

Karani further alleged that the committees are run by officials who would go to an extent of altering the by-laws to favour them.

“It is these same officials who are colluding with government officials and cartels to rip off farmers’ proceeds and dictate how our coffee should be marketed and what to pay farmers,” said an angry Karani.

Another farmer, Mr Stephen Mithamo explained how private millers had gone to the extent of hiring gangs to hunt down and kill those opposed to mismanagement of the sector.

Mr Mithamo narrated how he was allegedly reduced to a fugitive in his own home after gangs were sent to hunt him down due to his crusade to have management of the coffee sector left to farmers.

“The coffee business is currently a matter of life and death with those agitating for a change in its management being hunted down like animals by powerful businessmen. The sector is doomed,” he said.

He alleged the ‘powerful individuals are working alongside management committees, which are supposed to advocate for the rights of the farmers, to deny farmers their just rewards.

Mr Mithamo called for overhaul of entire management committees in all the societies and fresh elections con ducted by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) held.

The farmers urged Wambu to ensure proper mechanisms in the milling and marketing of coffee are put in place to guarantee farmers of a minimum return regardless of prevailing market conditions.