Murang'a: Farmers allied to Kangunu Coffee Factory in Kangema, Murang'a County, have raised concerns over the twin challenges of coffee hawking and broking witnessed in the area in the recent past. Affected farmers warned that the practices that are allegedly perpetuated by former officials of the factory could erode the progress made through government-backed reforms in the sector.
According to Kenya News Agency, the farmers who were airing their grievances during an occasion to install a milk cooler at the premises of the factory said hawkers and brokers are taking advantage of higher market coffee prices to exploit desperate farmers, bypass cooperatives, and weaken their bargaining power. Kangunu Factory Chairperson John Chege said the illegal business is now the greatest threat to the cooperative's stability.
"We are happy about the installation of the cooler because they will help coffee farmers who are also doing dairy farming to preserve and market their milk. But our biggest enemy now is hawking and broking of coffee in this part of Kangema. Hawkers destabilize our cooperative by buying cherry directly from farmers, while brokers exploit us through unfair commissions at the auction. If nothing is done, all the progress we've made in the coffee sector will go to waste," Chege lamented.
He noted that since the Ministry of Cooperatives restructured cooperative societies last year, they had started earning better returns from their produce. "The improved prices have attracted hawkers who move farm to farm offering quick cash, while brokers at the Nairobi Coffee Exchange continue to take a cut of farmers' hard-earned proceeds," Chege remarked. He added that the combination of the two malpractices risks collapsing farmers' cooperative societies.
Murang'a Woman Representative, Betty Maina, who graced the event, strongly condemned both hawking and broking, and called for tighter regulation to protect farmers. "Coffee hawking and broking are two sides of exploitation. Farmers are losing out on their rightful benefits while middlemen enrich themselves. I am calling on the government and regulators to enforce strict measures to end these practices," she said. The Woman Rep further noted that genuine empowerment means increasing productivity and creating direct markets that cut out middlemen.
Kangema MP Peter Kihungi echoed the farmers' concerns, noting that hawking and broking undermine the broader coffee revival agenda. "We cannot allow hawkers and brokers to sabotage our cooperatives after the huge sacrifices farmers have made to reform this sector. Coffee sold outside the cooperative system is unaccounted for, while brokerage fees eat into farmer earnings. I urge farmers to remain loyal to their societies, where payments are transparent, while the government must act firmly to eliminate these vices," Kihungi said.
Commending the government for implementing coffee reforms, the farmers insisted that unless the government addresses hawking and broking decisively, cooperatives will continue to suffer and farmers will remain trapped in a cycle of exploitation.