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Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has outlined various reasons why he was put in charge of handling coffee reforms by President William Ruto.
Speaking in Meru County on Friday during a national Coffee Summit, Gachagua told farmers that President Ruto gave him the task since he knows him.
“I have zero interest in the subsector and I am incorruptible,” Gachagua said.
“Nobody can offer me anything in this world to remove me from the path of the coffee reforms which is getting money into the pockets of the farmers.”
He said that Ruto wanted the issues of farmers to be sorted out since he had given a commitment to the Kenyan people.
He added that the task is personal to him since he is passionate about coffee and its earnings.
“He asked me to coordinate the various ministries because I am passionate about coffee and I am a product of coffee earnings. So, this for me is personal. Other than being Deputy President, it’s personal for me because I saw it work. And if it worked then, it will work,” Gachagua said.
The deputy president reiterated that he shall deal thoroughly with cartels in the coffee sector to restore the dignity of Kenyan farmers.
“I want to tell all those people who have been eating money from the farmers – the cartels, the middlemen- your time is up. You must give way and align with us or we get you out. You must agree that it is not business as usual,” Gachagua said.
He said the intended Coffee reforms are aimed at enabling farmers to increase their earnings.
“We won’t fail. We will remove brokers so that farmers can sell their products directly and earn more money. This is the time to reform it,” Gachagua said. BY THE STAR