Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has affirmed that the Kenya Kwanza government is committed to resolving Miraa Farmers' challenges.
Speaking in Meru county, Gachagua has called on The National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (NACADA) for classifying Miraa as drugs.
“We want to tell NACADA that Miraa is not a drug it’s a cash crop like any other those saying Miraa is a drug are enemies of the Meru Community,” he said.
He said that the same reforms being made in the coffee sector will also be prioritized for the Miraa crop.
Further, he said that President William Ruto’s administration will honor his commitments to boost the sector by securing a ready market for Miraa across the country’s borders.
He also assured coffee farmers that the new reforms introduced by the government to streamline the sector will continue.
“I want to assure our coffee farmers that the reforms we started cannot be stopped! The reforms started in 2019 but were suspended by the previous regime. We want to tell coffee cartels that they will not succeed this time round,” he said.
According to Gachagua, cartels exploiting coffee sector farmers are working with government leaders by creating artificial crises urging that they will be eliminated through the new reforms.
“The journey to liberate our coffee farmers is a difficult one but it will be done. The darkest hour is just before dawn we are almost there,” he said.
Additionally, he said that the government is putting measures to eliminate brokers for coffee to be bought directly from the farmers.
