Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua now says that cartels in the coffee business tried to bribe him and Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi to halt the ongoing reforms.
Speaking in Meru on Sunday, Gachagua claimed the cartels were ready to bribe them to stop the reforms.
He said they then went to him (DP) with a promise to give him two shillings for every kilogram of coffee sold in the country but the DP also refused.
The deputy president insisted that the journey to liberate the coffee farmer is a difficult one but it will be done.
"I want to ask farmers to be patient, we are almost there," he said.
"Wamekuja kwa huyu Linturi akawaambia watembee. Huyu CS hawezi uza wakulima wa Kenya. Wamekuja kwangu kujaribu kunihonga ati nikubali mabadiliko isimamishwe katika kilo wanipatie shilingi mbili nikawaambia watembee. Sasa wamefika mwisho," Gachagua said.
This loosely translates to, "They went to Linturi but he told them to go away. This CS cannot betray Kenyan farmers. They came to me and tried to bribe me to stop the reforms. They offered Sh2 for every kilo sold but I told them to go away. They have reached a dead end."
Gachagua insisted that the cartels have been fighting back but the progress made so far in coffee sector reforms are promising.
He assured farmers that all was well and that soon the sector would be streamlined.
The DP was tasked by President William Ruto to spearhead reforms in the coffee sector in the country.
He has since been meeting various stakeholder groups over the same.