Kabete MP Ferdinand Waititu has called for the disbandment of the Kenya Coffee Planters Union (KCPU) blaming it for the woes facing coffee farmers in Kiambu.
Speaking to journalists at Githunguri, Kiambu County on Sunday, Waititu alleged that cartels have undermined coffee farmers impoverishing them.
He noted that coffee farmers in Kiambu have abandoned the crop as a result of poor prices and interference of the sector by cartels.
“The government should immediately disband KCPU and any other agencies that have failed to protect coffee farmers' interests,” said the Kabete lawmaker.
Waititu said that the coffee sector will only be revived if cartels are cracked down.
“Coffee farmers in Kiambu and other places in the country have been pushed to poverty by cartels who are earning fortunes through their shady deals,” he said.
Waititu urged stakeholders in the agriculture sector to convene and urgently address the issues facing the coffee sector.
He said that failure by stakeholders to speak will see farmers lose out on coffee farming.
The MP stated that he will address the issues facing the coffee sector in Kiambu if residents elect him governor come 2017 general elections.