This archive report was first published on 4 January 2020.
On December 19th, 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta appointed a new board to run the affairs of the Kenya Planters Co-operative Union (KPCU), a 75-year-old farmers union that collapsed due to mismanagement.
Henry Gichui Kinyua takes over as the new chairman and is tasked with overseeing the rebranding process of the farmers union.
According to a Gazette notice, President Kenyatta appointed Henry Gichui Kinyua as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the New Kenya Planters Co-operative Union for a period of one year, effective from December 18th, 2019.
The Cabinet Secretary for Industry, Trade and Co-operatives, Mr. Peter G. Kinyua, also appointed seven other members to the fresh board at New KPCU for a period of one year, effective from December 18th, 2019.
The new board members include Joyce Muthoni Wangari, Simeon Thuranira Atheru, Sabastian Maina Wambugu, Antony Nzau Musau, Michael Mwirigi Mungai, Josephine Kemunto Omwenga, and Rita Viola Mukami Mukundi.
It remains unclear how far the liquidators of the defunct KPCU have gone in terms of concluding the sale process.
As part of the liquidation process, Acting Commissioner for Co-operatives Development G.N. Njang’ombe appointed a team of liquidators, including Stephen Kamau Njoroge, Doris Wangui Githua, Antony Maina Waithaka, and Joyce Nkirote Kimuu, to oversee the liquidation of KPCU’s assets.
The liquidation team is authorized to take custody of all properties, including books and documents, deemed necessary for the completion of the liquidation process.
KPCU is a wholly farmer-owned company, with over 750,000 small-scale farmers represented through over 300 co-operatives and about 2,000 estate farmers owning small, medium, and large-scale farms.
