Coffee farmers protest over establishment of unlicensed factory 

The Mountain Journal

editor@themountainjournal.co.ke

Coffee farmers with the larger Kangema, Murang’a boycotted harvesting their coffee demanding immediate closure of a coffee pulping factory, implicated with coffee hawking.

 The farmers drawn from Iyego, New Kiriti and Kangunu cooperative societies among others  accused the authorities over allowing the establishment of Marga factory and purchase of coffee cherries, a move that caused insecurity in the villages.

The farmers flocked into theMurang’a  county government headquarters where they presented their tribulations demanding for the immediate solution to the problems they described as a looming threat.

 Led by chairman Ebson Mwangi( New Kiriti) , Njuguna Karatu( Iyego) and John Chege( Kangunu), the farmers were addressed by Murang’a County Secretary Dr Newton Mwangi who assured them that the Marga factory will be closed in 24 hours.

He said the growers' concerns had been received but there were procedures to be followed before action was taken.

“ The national government allowed the establishment of the factory but the county government was yet to allow the processing of the coffee as the regulations demand,” said Dr Mwangi.

 Chege said it was painful that the factories were under the verge of collapsing owing to the increased coffee hawking in the two sub counties.

“ Kangunu suffers the most as the officials who established the facility were former officials who were removed from the position by the farmers in a meeting convened by the Cooperative CS Wycliffe Oparanya last year,” said Chege who chairs the Kangunu society.

Njuguna said there was a need for a lasting solution to end the problems facing the farmers.