Majority Whip and Bungoma Senator CBS David Wafula Wakoli……Photo/IP
By IP reporter
NAIROBI, Kenya (IP)
Majority Chief Whip and Bungoma Senator CBS David Wakoli has formally requested a statement from the Senate’s Agriculture Committee over alleged inconsistencies in coffee pricing in Bungoma County, citing growing concern among farmers about transparency and fairness in the sector.
Rising on the floor of the Senate under Standing Order 53(1), the lawmaker asked the Standing Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries to investigate variations in prices offered for coffee cherry delivered to factories and “mbuni,” or dry parchment, processed through cooperative societies.
Coffee is a key cash crop for smallholder farmers in Bungoma, but recent seasons have seen complaints over fluctuating and sometimes unexplained price differences.
Farmers say the disparities have significantly affected their earnings and raised questions about accountability within the coffee value chain.
In the request, the senator called on the committee to provide a detailed breakdown of pricing structures used by factories and cooperatives, including verified records of payments made to farmers over the past five seasons and explanations for the discrepancies.
The committee was also asked to disclose the number and identities of millers, marketing agents and brokers engaged by coffee factories and cooperative societies, alongside details of their contractual terms and duration of service.
Further, the senator wants clarity on the procedures used to appoint these actors and whether the processes comply with existing laws and cooperative governance requirements.
The statement request also seeks an assessment of compliance levels among all players in the coffee sector with regulations governing price disclosure, deductions, commissions, milling costs and farmer payments.
Senator Wakoli further urged the committee to outline measures to improve transparency, accountability and fair pricing, saying such reforms are necessary to protect farmers’ interests and restore confidence in cooperative societies in Bungoma County.
