This archive report was first published on 26 June 2021.
On June 26, 2021, a heated dispute erupted at Kîangoi Coffee Factory in Gîchûgû Constituency, Kirinyaga County, when a group of farmers was barred from participating in a general meeting due to their residency status.
The meeting, held at all three coffee factories under Rung’eto Farmers’ Cooperative society, aimed to elect representatives for each factory to sit on the cooperative’s management committee.
However, farmers from Kîangoi were shocked to learn that they were not eligible to vote since they were not residents of Rung’eto sublocation in Ngariama ward, Kirinyaga East Sub County.
"They have never turned me away when I brought my coffee harvests, why would they deny me my right to vote?" said Faith Wawira, a Kîangoi coffee factory farmer.
Wawira, a resident of Njuki-ini ward, has been living in Rung’eto village for over three decades and has been married there for nearly 30 years.
She argued that she has a right to elect a leader to represent her interests in the coffee industry.
"There are farmers who harvest less than 200 Kgs of coffee in a year and have been allowed to vote simply because their national IDs indicate that they were born in Rung’eto," she said.
Francis Comba, a farmer at the same factory, also expressed his discontent, stating that every farmer has a right to vote regardless of their place of origin.
Comba, who purchased a piece of land in Rung’eto but was born and raised in Ngiriambu of Njuki-ini ward, did not participate in the election.
"Every farmer has a right to vote regardless of where he or she comes from. We all have common interests," Comba said.
The farmers claim that the regulation, implemented two years ago, is discriminatory and are now calling for it to be scrapped altogether.
Confirming the issue, Rung’eto Cooperative Society Chairperson Joyce Wanjiku stated that the regulation was passed by farmers in one accord.
"That is true. If your ID reads you are not from Rung’eto sub location you cannot vote," she said before hanging up the phone.
Edward Nyaga, a Cooperative officer in Kirinyaga county, concurred with the farmers that the regulation is discriminatory.
Despite the controversy, elections were still carried out, with Davis Muchira elected to represent farmers from Kîangoi coffee factory, while Linus Mucira and Jacob Kori were elected to represent Kiiî and Karimikui coffee factories respectively.
