The government will deploy police officers in coffee factories to prevent theft of the produce, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has announced.
The Deputy President said the factories will be guarded round the clock with armed officers.
“The Cabinet Secretary for Interior Kithure Kindiki has given instructions to the National Police Service to provide 24-hour armed security to all coffee factories to protect the produce from theft,” he stated.
Gachagua spoke at Wakulima House, Nairobi when he reopened the Nairobi Coffee Exchange Auction.
The Deputy President’s announcement comes after coffee farmers raised concerns against the rampant theft of the commodity.
Hiring of private security guards has been expensive for most factories. In some places, farmers are forced to hire vigilante groups to guard their coffee from criminals.
Escalating theft has not only threatened the farmers’ livelihoods but also international brands that may be re-selling stolen coffee without knowing it. The theft happens in farms, in factories and on transit.
As part of the reforms in the coffee subsector, operations were suspended soon after the Coffee Stakeholders Conference in Meru County in June.
Initially, coffee farmers could not access the auction centre to witness sale of their commodity to the international market.
Some marketers and millers are said to be opposed to the government's decision to reform the coffee subsector and are planning to frustrate and forestall the process by boycotting the market.
“We are ready despite the fight back. There is no turning back. We are determined and we urge farmers to remain calm and continue increasing production.
"We are also aware of a collusion of the cartels and persons in various institutions to frustrate the reforms and portray that the government does not know what it is doing,” said Gachagua.
He said farmers are demoralised because they cannot meet their daily needs even with the lucrative cash crop.