CF Reporter
Farmers contracted by Chepkube farmers cooperative society in Mt Elgon constituency, Bungoma County want the government to crack the whip over the alleged embezzlement of millions of shillings owed to them.
The farmers claim that despite toiling in their farms for long they have nothing to be proud of after the cooperative management officials pocketed millions of shillings meant for their payment.
WKHRW Executive director Job Bwonya
Through the Western Kenya Human Rights Watch, a lobby group, the farmers are demanding for the immediate arrest and prosecutions of the entire management committee of Chepkube Farmers’ Cooperative Society’s.
The lobby group through its executive director Mr.Job Bwonya claims that the accused persons have been trampling on the social economic rights of poor farmers who are the owners of the coffee factory.
“We further accuse the County Executive Committee Member for Agriculture Bungoma for being complacent in the impropriety of KShs. 5.6 million, hence presiding over economic crime,” said Bwonya.
He added, “Despite the complainants (society owners) presenting numerous memoranda to the Governor and his officers, neither communication nor action has been taken, which in our opinion, is evidence of admission that they are part and parcel of the missing cash,”.
He said that the loss coffee proceeds has grossly infringed on the social economic rights of the farmers to access education and social security and other basic needs as clearly stipulated in Article 43(1), e & f of the constitution 2010.
He noted that a two month survey conducted by the organization, and from impeccable sources reveals that Chepkube Farmers’ Cooperative Society Limited management, cannot account for more than five million six hundred thousand Kenya shillings (Kshs. 5.6 million) for the coffee sales of the years 2019/2020 to 2021/2022 as follows;
“KShs. 2.5 million, direct sale of 45 bags of AA (grade one) coffee to a Hamburg- Germany based customer on 12/12.2019 No bank statements were produced to vouch receipt by the society of this colossal amount,” he said.
Bwonya stated that Sh 3.06 million being the difference between the total amounts paid to farmers per payroll and the amount reflected in the audited financial statements for the years ended 30th September, 2019/2020 to 2021/ 2022.
He noted that these two sets of figures must tally and no explanations were given for the differences.
“In the Germany sales, the buyer has a clear physical address and other contacts; Street and Telephones. Surprisingly, the agent / seller for the Chepkube coffee have neither contact nor physical address to facilitate communication to that effect,” he stated.
He explained that the above improprieties raised several audit queries that were brought to the attention of the management committee and copied to concerned Senior County Government officials who included; Sub County Cooperative Officer, Director Cooperative Development, Chief Officer Cooperatives. Letters in our possession indicate the farmers lobby group called “Oversight Committee’’ send the same letters to the CECM Agriculture, Deputy Governor and the Governor himself.
He pointed out that Instead of the management / County Government addressing the audit queries, they started threatening them with death and other dire consequences and even expelling some members from the society who had raised the audit queries.
“In our opinion the complainants are the bonfide leaders of the lobby group, and have all the constitutional rights to form and belong to any association / group to champion for their rights,'” he said.
This compelled leaders of the lobby group to report the security threats at Chepkube Police Station (OB 12/24/05/2023 AT 15:54 HRS), and most of them have since fled to the neighboring country for fear of their dear lives.
He stated that all these threats was engineered by non-other than the Sub County Cooperatives Officer, Mt. Elgon.
Furthermore, the letter send to farmers lobby group is not only an affront to the Constitution of Kenya, but is also a sign of cartels panicking and confirms that“ a guilty conscience needs no accuser’’.
The Director Cooperative Development Bungoma County’s letter terming a farmers lobby group “Oversight Committee” “illegal’’ is a great one in terms of import( protecting cartels) but a problematic one in terms of understanding the Constitution 2010.
“After months of no response from both the management committee, as well as the County Government’s relevant officers to whom farmers had complained to, their patience was more than exhausted, hence invoked the provision of Section 27 (6) (b) & 7 of the Cooperative Society’s Act Cap 490 Laws of Kenya to call a Special General Meeting to discuss the accountability issues raised by the Oversight Committee particularly the missing KShs. 5.6 million.
Hell broke loose after farmers invoked the provisions of Section 27/7 of the Cooperative Societies Act Cap 490 Laws of Kenya.
Bwonya stated that they were threatened and intimidated by the managements committee and the Chief Officer Cooperatives Bungoma County, Director of Cooperatives and Executive Committee member for agriculture.
“They conspired and alerted the entire security machinery within the catchment of Chepkube Cooperative Society Limited to unleash terror against innocent farmers,” he said.
The farmers are now demanding for the immediate disbandment of the entire management committee of Chepkube Farmers’ Cooperative Society Limited.
“The arrest and prosecution of the entire society’s top management committee for multiplicity of culpability,” they said.
Have their lifestyles audited and any unexplained income forfeited to the society.
“Let appoint a five-man caretaker committee to run the affairs of the society until fresh elections are held,” he said.
Bwonya on behalf on behalf of farmers are also demanding for the dismissal and prosecution of; the Sub County Cooperatives Officer, Mt. Elgon, County Director Cooperatives and Chief Officer Cooperatives in an effort to save the continuous loss of farmers’ money in the region.
He also wants DCI to Investigate Sub County Cooperative Officer, Mt. Elgon, the Director of Cooperative Development and Chief Officer Cooperatives, Bungoma County, in their role in the disappearance of the KShs. 5.6 million farmers’ money and subsequent threats and intimidation against farmers.
The farmers are also appealing to the Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua who is mandated by His Excellency, The President to get rid of cartels in the tea and coffee sector to intervene in the concerns raised by farmers and have the perpetrators brought to book.
“The vicious circle of theft in the coffee sector, in Bungoma County is rampant will not stop in the country, if strong measures to deal with cartels will not be put in place,” he said.
Efforts to get a comment from the society’s management committee officials and the county officials were futile.
