The once vibrant Kangunu coffee society in Murang’a is rocked with controversies with a section of members calling for intervention, to end dictatorial rules. Three years ago, more than 26 members were expelled from the society after they questioned deduction from their proceeds not receipted.
Since 2017, there has been a disconnect among the members after the management embarked on deducting five percent from the members’ proceeds as contribution to ‘Kangunu Sacco’. They had also questioned acquisition of expensive loans from the millers amounting to millions of shillings, instead of getting the same from the local saccos at cheap rates.
The effect of expelling the members’ spilled with the affected hawking of the commodity to other factories in Kiru and Gitugi locations. In efforts to address the farmers’ concerns, two years ago, former Murang’a director of cooperative Josephine Mwangi once met a hostile crowd at the society headquarters.
Mwangi left without addressing the farmers’ concerns.
The farmers leaders’ John Chege Macharia, Gerald Macharia, and Ndaiga Munene were expelled for spearheading the demand for meetings to deliberate use of the dictatorial rules, acquisition of loans from millers.
Chege detailed their suffering with the plea to the cooperative department in the year 2022 fell into the deaf ears. “We are happy that the coffee regulation bars the societies from getting loans from the millers, as Kangunu had lost millions of shillings that the management cannot explain,” said Chege.
Chege, recounts how the society have evaded inspection of its books of accounts by the department of the cooperative. “There was a time in 2022 when the society employees were directed to close the premises entrance and barred officials from the cooperative office from inspecting the books of accounts,” said Chege.
The expulsion letter sent to the rogue members, in our possession, reads in part, “You have been a burden to the society in which you acted contrary to the interest of the society and made the society incur losses to hold several general meetings well knowingly procedures to raise complaints. You’re a liability,”
In 2021, the embattled society was among the best run in the county where the farmers were paid Sh106 per kilogrammes of cherries. But Society Chairman Geoffery Macharia when reached for comments said the society was intact and would not allow the critics to mislead the farmers, while pursuing their interests.
Mr Macharia said the members’ in 2017 approved to contribute 5 percent of their proceeds to support society activities in buying inputs and food stuff. “The critics can proceed to court as they incur costs of meetings and being summoned to DCI to deliberate on nonsense,” said the chairman.
Murang’a County Director of Cooperative Mr John Nderu said it is unfortunate that the matters related to the society have remained complex. Nderu recounts how an inspection team dispatched to the society from the Ministry of Cooperative was frustrated after the society gates were ordered closed.
“Kangunu is facing intense enmity from the neighbouring Kiawanduma and Ngutu coffee societies, over buying coffee from their members,” said Nderu. Last month, the society held its annual general meeting which the sub county cooperative officer Mr Githae attended.
