Coffee Farmers Protest Over Delayed Payments.
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| Gatundu DCC Stephen Kihara and MP Moses Kuria listen to farmers' grievances by one of Kinaratia Coop. Society Member |
The county legislator and other local leaders had called the
meeting to address the mismanagement in the society and payments following
claims that only 20% of the famers were paid on Friday. The angry farmers
stormed the home of Kimani Gichuru where they threatened to destroy property
after he and his family escaped. However, some quick intervention by the police
saved the home from destruction.
The farmers, hailing from three coffee factories; namely
Gichuka , Gitare and Gachika and who solely depended on coffee farming, said that
they could neither meet their daily needs nor afford to pay school fees for
their children even after delivering coffee to the Society.
Calm was later restored after Gatundu MP. Moses Kuria and
Deputy County Commissioner Stephen Kihara drove to Kiamatia Society offices and
addressed the farmers.
Kuria promised to follow up the matter and told those
farmers with secondary school children to submit a list of their fees dues which
he promised to secure as the payment for their coffee produce was being pursued.
He blamed the management of hiding behind the new coffee rules set by the task
force appointed by the president to address problems affecting the coffee
sector to frustrate farmers.
On their part, the farmers accused the management of
borrowing money from millers and using it for their personal needs as farmers
continued to wallow in poverty.
Kuria called on the farmers to give him one week and
promised to come with a way forward. The MP was wildly cheered when ordered Gatundu
OCPD to arrest the chairman Francis Muigai and one of the directors who
were present at the meeting.
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