Kirinyaga: Coffee farmers call for intervention over low pay

Coffee farmers from Mukengeria factory in, Kirinyaga County have condemned low pay from their society expressing their dissatisfaction saying they were expecting over Ksh 100 per kg.

They have associated the low pay with a lack of members of the committee from their factory to represent them in the Kabare Coffee Farmer Co-operative Society, where all other factories have representatives.

They condemnied the Kabare society leadership for not listening to their grievances, saying early this year they had a meeting with the society leadership where they were promised to have one of their own in the society, but up to date they haven’t gotten a member.

They called for investigations and audits, saying that despite their factory producing high-quality coffee, they have been getting paid, which cannot pay back their experience in coffee production.

Comparing last year’s payment of Ksh 72 per kilo to this year’s payment of Ksh 74.4 per kilo, farmers have said they did not see the effect of the government waiver, adding that other factories in the same society have received over Ksh 100 per kilo, saying this comes from good representation since their coffee was allegedly taken in the market at the right time when the market was favorable.

The farmers are calling on the national government to intervene, saying they will have a hard time paying their debts and other household activities since their aim is coffee farming.