Machakos Deputy Governor Francis Mwangangi has called for urgent sensitization of coffee cooperatives leaders to curb mismanagement and prevent farmers from plunging into new debts.
Speaking during a coffee sector revival sensitization meeting in Tala, Mwangangi supported the government’s move to waive debts owed by coffee farmers’ cooperative societies but questioned how the debts accumulated in the first place.
“We welcome the waivers, but the big question is how did these debts come about?” he posed.
“Without sensitizing our cooperative managers and board members on proper governance and financial management, we risk falling back into the same trap,” Mwangangi added.
He emphasized that many cooperatives have suffered from poor leadership, which has led to mismanagement of funds, leaving farmers demoralized and abandoning coffee farming altogether.
“To revive coffee, we must not just focus on waivers; we need deliberate programs to empower committees with the right skills. Regulations must also be put in place to curb theft and mismanagement of farmers’ money,” he said, adding that culprits behind financial mismanagement should be held accountable and funds recovered.
The deputy governor noted that the Machakos County Government is complementing national efforts by supporting societies through solarization to reduce operational costs and improve coffee production.
In the last three years, coffee production in Machakos county has shown tremendous improvement due to the waivers, ready market, elimination of middlemen, among other factors.
