This archive report was first published on 30 July 2019.
Kenya's coffee sub-sector has been plagued by graft and mismanagement, with new regulations aimed at addressing these issues unlikely to bear fruit unless the State takes concrete steps to ensure their adherence.
Reforms must begin in the ministries and departments responsible for implementing the new regulations, with a focus on removing individuals who have contributed to the sector's decline.
The auditing department at the ministry responsible for co-operatives demands a complete overhaul, and the prosecution of directors and staff of coffee co-operatives who have embezzled funds that led to the collapse of 500 pulping factories in 31 counties is long overdue.
Failure to take concrete steps will mean the new regulations will be treated with the same contempt as earlier ones, and farmers who have abandoned the crop are unlikely to return to their farms unless convinced that the State will protect their future earnings.
On July 30, 2019, The Standard reported that the Sh3 billion Cherry Advance Revolving Fund meant to help cash-strapped farmers is also likely to end up in the pockets of few people unless action is taken on past miscreants.
Increasing coffee productivity to about 50 per cent of its potential would cushion farmers against global price shocks, but the majority of farms' productivity stands at less than 10 per cent of its potential.
