This archive report was first published on 16 June 2020.
Meru, Kenya - June 16, 2020
The New Kenya Planters Cooperative Union (NKPCU) is set to start milling coffee in Meru next week, following the completion of the takeover of mills from unions.
According to Julius Kimathi, technical advisor at the Agriculture ministry, several leaders of coffee societies have promised to deliver parchment to the plant after the controversial takeover of the facility last month.
Kimathi met with coffee society leaders at the mill on Monday and said they had handed over the union's property and were set to start processing.
'There is no controversy now and we want farmers to know that everything has been sorted out amicably,' Kimathi said. 'At least 20 societies have already confirmed they will start delivering coffee to the mill as the new harvesting season begins.'
The NKPCU repossessed Meru Coffee Cooperative Millers Union (MCCMU) amid protests by its officials and the Meru Coffee Cooperative Union (MCCU) who had leased it. They complained that they had not been given adequate notice.
Meru County Assembly MCAs last Saturday criticised Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya over a planned meeting with a section of the legislators, accusing them of politicising the matter.
'The attacks on the CS were utterly uncalled for because we had followed the right procedure since we notified the assembly speaker of the intended meeting,' Kimathi said.
