Githunguri Member of Parliament Gathoni Wamuchomba has raised concerns over the government’s proposal to remit coffee farmers’ earnings directly to individual M-Pesa accounts, warning that the move could weaken cooperatives and destabilise the coffee value chain.
Speaking on Friday after attending a Coffee Day at Gatagua Coffee Cooperative Society in Murang’a County, Wamuchomba said while the coffee sector was showing signs of recovery, poorly implemented reforms risk reversing recent gains.
“As Chair of the Parliamentary Coffee Caucus and a farmers’ defender, I have walked this journey with coffee farmers across the country—from Kiambu and Meru to Kisii, Baringo, Trans Nzoia and Machakos,” she said.
She noted that factories were slowly coming back to life and production was on the rise, attributing the improvement to sustained advocacy and reforms targeting farmer welfare. However, she acknowledged that challenges around delayed and inconsistent farmer payments persist.
Wamuchomba cautioned that the proposed Direct Settlement System (DSS), which would see farmers’ proceeds sent directly to their mobile money accounts, was causing anxiety among farmers and cooperative societies.
“Farmers fear that this system will interfere with governance in coffee sales and deny them control over deductions, loan repayments and factory operations, exposing them to possible exploitation,” she said.
She argued that cooperatives remain the backbone of the coffee processing and marketing chain, warning that weakening them would threaten sustainability in the sector.
“The government must not force its interests to the detriment of the coffee sector. Any reform must be farmer-centred and safeguard the cooperative spirit that holds this industry together,” she said.
Wamuchomba congratulated farmers at Gatagua FCS who were recognised and awarded during the event, praising their resilience and commitment to reviving coffee farming.
