By Kamau Njoroge
Coffee farmers from Gatundu North in Kiambu County have hailed president William Ruto for promising to reduce the price of fertilizers by half.
The farmers, led by John Kaguchia, said they are optimistic that through cheaper fertilizers, their production will increase and in turn translate to higher returns.
“We are glad that we will access fertilizer at affordable prices and this is a shot-in-the-arm for us because it will boost our production and we will get better returns on our produce,” he said.
The farmers were speaking after a meeting at Ndekei Coffee Factory where they expressed concern over the high cases of coffee theft in the region.
One of the farmers, Martin Kiragu, said a criminal gang targeting coffee farmers has wreaked havoc in the region and made themselves rich by stealing farmers’ hard toiled produce.
“The thieves recently got away with 60 bags of coffee worth Ksh 4 million. We were anticipating good pay, especially now that the prices have started rising following a raft of reforms in the coffee sector but the thieves have dealt us a huge blow and loss,” he said.
He added that the criminals have developed an insatiable appetite for coffee and become a thorn in the flesh for the farmers and pushed them back to the shackles of poverty.
He pointed out that the theft might have been an inside job.
“We suspect that some of us conspired with the thieves to steal the coffee at the expense of the pain and hardships most of us have gone through,” he added.
The coffee farmers kicked out the management of the factory and replaced it with a caretaker committee, arguing that the management had not put in place proper measures to ensure the safety of their produce.
“It’s high time we take the bull by its horns, we are tired of losing our produce to criminals. The management failed to protect our coffee and didn’t give us enough reasons as to why they haven’t put in place proper security measures despite the fact that we severally raised the issue on the same,” Kiragu said.
The farmers proposed the installation of CCTV cameras and the addition of security guards to man the factory.
Mary Muthoni said the stock in the factory should be reduced to 15.
Lucy Wanjiru urged the area police to speed up investigations into the theft incident and bring everyone involved to book.
“We plead with the security personnel to be vigilant because these criminals transport the stolen coffee in broad daylight. We also want night patrols to be increased especially in areas where there are coffee factories,” she added.
Kiambu County Police Commander Perminus Kioi said that police in the region are working round the clock to dismantle the cartel that has been terrorizing farmers.
“We are also working closely with farmers to ensure their produce is well secured. We will ensure those behind the racket are put behind bars.” Kioi said.
