Nyeri farmers lose coffee worth Sh3m in factory robbery
Workers spread coffee parchment at Ndaroini Coffee Factory in Nyeri. Managers of cooperative societies in central region are on high alert over a renewed trend in coffee thefts. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Robbers made away with cherry worth Sh3 million from Giakanja factory in Nyeri.
- Wrangles between the factory's two sets of management are suspected to have contributed to the theft.
- in mid January, 150 bags of parchment worth Sh6 million were stolen from Gathinja factory in Murang’a County.
Managers of cooperative societies in Central Kenya are on high alert over a renewed trend in coffee theft days after robbers made away with cherry worth Sh3 million from Giakanja factory in Nyeri.
A leadership row pitting coffee farmers against the factory’s management has been blamed for the spate of coffee thefts in the region.
According to Nyeri County Police Commander Adiel Nyange, there was no break-in at the factory where the 60 bags of parchment coffee had been stored in a warehouse.
NO ARRESTS
There was also no scuffle reported between the thieves and the watchmen guarding the factory and no arrests have been made yet.
The former and current managers of Giakanja Coffee Factory situated in Tetu have been embroiled in wrangles over the control of the farmers’ produce.
“We are not ruling out that this could have been an inside job. The wrangles between the two managements could be a factor in the theft,” said Mr Nyange.
PREVIOUS THEFT
Mid this month, 150 bags of parchment worth Sh6 million were stolen from Gathinja Coffee Factory in Murang’a County. Farmers accused the factory managers of abetting the crime.
The coffee is always ready for transportation to millers and marketers when it is stolen.
Mr Nyange assured farmers that the culprits will be brought to book regardless of their positions at the factory.
Farmers expressed despair over loss of money from the thefts.
“We were hopeful of getting some money after the sale of our coffee but it is all lost,” said Mr Peter Maina, a farmer. He added that the stolen coffee is never recovered.
But the management of the factory said the coffee is normally insured.
In 2016, the region witnessed a spate of coffee thefts that saw farmers in the region lose about 800 bags of produce worth more than Sh157 million.
FARMERS' LOSSES
Nyeri County was worst hit by the thefts.
Farmers resorted to uprooting their coffee in despair, resulting in the collapse of some cooperatives.
In the last two years, the county has not reported any cases of coffee theft.
To curb the theft, the Coffee Directorate came up with a raft of measures. Key among them was ensuring that beans delivered for processing must have proper documents of origin.
The county also liaised with coffee cooperatives and security officers to safeguard parchment in various factory stores.
Currently, a majority of cooperatives are in the process of transporting their coffee for sale.
“All factories with parchment in stores should liaise with security bodies to ensure it is secured,” the police commander said, adding that evaluators are looking into the exact value of the stolen coffee.
