Kirinyaga: Coffee farmers block roads to protest against poor pay

Angry coffee farmers from Ragati and Ngugi-ini factories  disrupted transport  on Sagana-Karatina road  for four hours, accusing Kibirigwi cooperative society management of poor pay rates.

"We are going to close  down all   the eight factories and eject the entire management," Samuel Wanjohi from Ragati factory said.

The farmers also accused the management of embezzlement of their funds, and called for an audit.

Ngugu-ini farmers marched from Ngugi-ini coffee factory to Kibirigwi shopping centre along the busy Sagana -Karatina road.

"We are going to protest until we eject our chairman," Joseph Kinyua said. 

Kirinyaga  Senator James Kamau Murango  and Kirinyaga woman representative Jane Njeri joined farmers of Kibirigwi Cooperative Society in condemning the poor pay rate and called for a forensic audit.

Murango said that out of 14 coffee cooperative societies in Kirinyaga, Kibirigwi was the last to  release its rate and it was the poorest.