Farmers demand answers over missing payments as armed gang steals coffee cherries worth US$ 140,000
The farmers accuse cooperative society officials and marketing agents of embezzling funds and are calling for the resignation of the current management to allow for a full and independent investigation
NAIROBI, July 23, 2025 –– Kenya’s Mathira coffee farmers are demanding urgent answers over missing and delayed payments for the 2024/25 season. The growers claim they have not been paid for over three months, despite a payment schedule indicating they were to receive KSh110 per kilogramme of cherry.
The farmers accuse cooperative society officials and marketing agents of embezzling funds and are calling for the resignation of the current management to allow for a full and independent investigation. They report being misled repeatedly by management, who have failed to provide a clear explanation regarding the whereabouts of their payments.
Growers further allege unexplained deductions from their earnings, compounding their frustration. They have appealed to the Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives, Wycliffe Oparanya, to intervene and resolve what they describe as long-standing issues affecting their society.
However, a marketer from the New Kenya Planters Cooperative Union [KPCU] dismissed the claims, stating that all payments had been disbursed two months ago.
Society chairman Julius Kogi admitted there had been a “hitch” in the payment process, which is currently under review. He, in turn, accused the KPCU of selling the society’s coffee at significantly lower prices than those achieved by other cooperatives.
Farmers are now compiling documentation to submit to authorities for a formal audit. They say they are still in the dark about the fate of their coffee, which they believe was sold at throwaway prices.
Armed gang raids factory, steals coffee cherries worth US$ 140,000
Still in Kenya, a separate incident has further shaken the region’s coffee sector. Armed criminals raided the Togonye Coffee Factory in Murinduko Ward, Mwea Constituency, overpowering and injuring two security guards before making off with 26 bags of coffee cherries, valued at approximately US$ 140,000.
According to reports, more than ten assailants, armed with crude weapons, broke into the factory during the night. They allegedly cut open the main store, loaded the stolen cherries onto a lorry, and fled the scene.
Patrick Gicobi, chairman of the Urumandi Coffee Cooperative Society, described the theft as an unfortunate but foreseeable consequence of the soaring value of coffee. He confirmed the stolen cherries had already been dried and were scheduled for sale the following day.
This marks the third theft at Togonye Factory in recent months, leaving local farmers devastated and without income. Management from both Mururi and Togonye factories have called on the police to step up investigations and bring the perpetrators to justice. Officers have since visited the scene and launched inquiries.
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