As the war between leaders from the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) continues, Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has revealed a new plan designed to cater for coffee farmers.
While speaking in Kangema Murang'a County, Kuria revealed that in a previous Cabinet meeting, he proposed to President William Ruto a new way of paying the farmers directly.
"There's a new system President Ruto and I have brought, it's called the Direct Settlement System (DSS). This will ensure that when the coffee is sold, each farmer gets their payment instantly," he revealed.
This was yet another attack on the leadership of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua who has been championing equality and better pay for coffee farmers.
Kuria revealed that President Ruto and other CSs backed his plan. His plan involves paying the money directly to the farmer's account rather than having the middleman.
He criticised the previous payment plan where the government disbursed Ksh6.8 billion to repay debts. He argued that none of the funds reached the farmers.
"Did you get anything? Where did the money go and they claim it paid off debts?" he asked the residents.
The CS revealed that this was the same story used by other officials in the Mwai Kibaki regime where funds were disbursed to repay debts but no farmer received the money.
He argued that some rogue individuals were pocketing money meant for farmers and further crippling the production of coffee in the country especially in the Mt Kenya region.
"I brought the DSS plan before Cabinet and they supported me. This time round we will disburse money as before, we will pay money to each account," he remarked.
The CS emphasised that this was the right move to ensure all farmers get their crop's worth. He added that this would be replicated in the tea and milk sectors. He added that this would also provide farmers with the necessary resources to cater for their daily needs.
In May DP Gachagua announced that he had agreed with President Ruto to write off the debt. Gachagua emphasised that this was meant to support farmers and increase production.
The government wrote the debt in June 11.
