Wamuchomba questions Nairobi coffee exchange ownership, demands farmers take control

Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba during the press conference in Nairobi. [Herman Kamariki, Standard]

Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba has raised serious concerns over the ownership and management of the Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE), demanding full transparency regarding the individuals controlling the institution that handles billions of shillings in coffee trade.

Wamuchomba argued that the NCE should not operate under murky corporate structures that leave coffee farmers in the dark about how their produce and revenues are managed.

She questioned the continued presence of private interests in the exchange, insisting that smallholder coffee farmers—who generate the wealth—deserve a direct ownership stake and seat at the management table.

The lawmaker specifically called for an audit into the individuals listed behind the company, singling out Josephine Njoki and Benson Odhiambo, who are documented as directors and members.

Wamuchomba noted that despite assurances from the Ministry of Agriculture in June 2023 to address governance and ownership anomalies at the exchange, little progress has been made to reform the entity.

Her demand remains straightforward: the Nairobi Coffee Exchange must ultimately be owned and controlled by the coffee farmers themselves.

With billions of shillings passing through the auction annually, the debate reopens critical questions over governance, accountability, and whether farmers are getting value from the central pillar of Kenya's coffee market.