Kenyan Coffee Farmers Up In Arms Over Newly Proposed Payment Model – CoffeeTalk

Coffee farmers in Kenya are protesting against the government’s plans to introduce a new coffee payment model, which they believe is designed to sabotage the cooperative movement. Most of the farmers argue that the decision by President William Ruto to pay them from the Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) five days after the weekly sale is ill-advised. Kabare Farmers Cooperative Society Chairman Cyrus Njogu believes that the decision will destroy the cooperative movement and cause conflicts among members.

Ruto hinted that coffee payment from June will be remitted directly to the farmers by the NCE as a way to enhance good governance in the coffee sector. In the concluded Mt Kenya region development tour, Ruto said that farmers will directly receive their payment from the Direct Settlement System (DSS) through the NCE. The current regulations that guide coffee farming have not been amended to allow proceeds to be remitted directly to the farmers, and he added that direct payment is a scheme destined to push out Kenyans from the cooperative movement.

Coffee farmer Peter Gikonyo from Murang’a asked the government to further explain to the farmers on the guidelines that will perfect the directive. He added that direct payment is a scheme destined to push out Kenyans from the cooperative movement. Sara Wambui, a coffee farmer in Kangema, said farmers are presently interested in coffee seedlings to replace the old variety of SL that the majority inherited from their parents.

Samuel Mwai, a farmer in Mukurwe-ini sub-county in Nyeri, said the government ought to conduct a public participation to ensure all are in agreement. He said the system will be chaotic for growers as they will be on their own if the proceeds are not remitted into their accounts.

At Gatagua farmers cooperative society in Murang’a, the growers resisted their details shared with the NCE for usage in facilitating payment through DSS. The society chairman, Nahason Chege, asked the growers to remain focused as the issues pertaining to payment are resolved in the annual general meetings, as the directive will cause chaos. Florence Mwangi, a farmer at Weithaga society, says the government should not rush to introduce direct payment but review some of the regulation imposed contrally to the Coffee General Regulations 2019.

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