MPs back coffee harvest boycott threat in Nyeri

Mukurwe-ini MP Kabando wa Kabando at a past press conference. Mr Kabando wants President Uhuru Kenyatta to give coffee farmers a New Year gift by dealing sternly with cartels recently exposed by the Daily Nation. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The MPs want President Uhuru Kenyatta to give coffee farmers a New Year gift by dealing sternly with cartels recently exposed by the Daily Nation.
  • His Nyeri Town counterpart, Ms Esther Murugi, applauded the Nation for exposing the cartels and urged the President to ensure those swindling coffee farmers are put behind bars.

MPs from Nyeri have supported coffee farmers in their threat to boycott harvesting their crop if the President does not act to end corruption in the sector.

The MPs want President Uhuru Kenyatta to give coffee farmers a New Year gift by dealing sternly with cartels recently exposed by the Daily Nation.

“We have tried to fight local and national coffee cartels but at every turn their vicious networks fight back ruthlessly. Even Parliamentary committees are not spared. Investigations are ‘compromised’ as soon as they are completed,” Mukurwe-ini MP Kabando Wa Kabando said.

In a post on his Facebook page, Mr Kabando said MPs are labelled saboteurs when they try to query curious deals.

“President Uhuru Kenyatta, please give our coffee farmers a New Year gift. Act to end the exploitation,” part of the post reads.

His Nyeri Town counterpart, Ms Esther Murugi, applauded the Nation for exposing the cartels and urged the President to ensure those swindling coffee farmers are put behind bars.

“Eighty per cent of my constituents are coffee farmers. It is time the President removes the corrupt people and make them return all they stole before they are jailed,” said Ms Murugi.

She said value addition in counties would not only earn farmers more but lock out corrupt people.

She urged farmers to unite and sell their coffee to a miller of their choice.

Mathira MP Peter Weru said the high number of people claiming to be coffee farmers seeking school bursaries at the CDF offices was worrying.

“Coffee was once dubbed ‘black gold’ in Nyeri but not any more. This calls for the setting up of a special committee to deal solely with coffee matters,” he said.

On Monday, coffee farmers from Nyeri threatened to boycott harvesting until President Kenyatta intervened to end corruption in the sector.

They demanded what they said was their stolen money and assets to be returned before January 15 when they will be holding a national coffee farmers meeting in Murang’a.