National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has urged farmers across the country to take a firm stand against corrupt leaders running their cooperative societies.
Speaking on Sunday, July 27, at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Sirisia Constituency, Bungoma County, Wetang’ula expressed deep concern over the widespread financial mismanagement and unethical conduct in agricultural SACCOs, particularly those affecting small-scale farmers.
He emphasized the need for farmers to become more involved and demand transparency and accountability in the day-to-day operations of their cooperatives.
“We must not sit back and watch corrupt leaders steal from the sweat and hard work of our farmers,” Wetang’ula declared. “These officials have turned our cooperatives into personal cash machines, while the real producers — the farmers — are left suffering.”
The Speaker warned that allowing dishonest individuals to mismanage finances and exploit hardworking farmers is undermining the core of Kenya’s agricultural industry. He urged communities to rise up and remove these dishonest officials in order to protect the future of farming in the country.
In Bungoma, Wetang’ula highlighted the difficult situation facing coffee farmers, particularly those in Mount Elgon and Kimilili areas.
Despite coffee being a major source of income, he said, many farmers are seeing minimal returns from their harvests due to corruption and poor leadership within their cooperative societies.
“It’s disheartening that a chairman with just a tiny farm ends up as the highest-paid member, while those who toil day and night earn almost nothing. This unfairness must end,” he added passionately.
The Speaker’s remarks come at a time when Kenya’s coffee sector is showing potential, with a report from the Nairobi Coffee Exchange indicating a 3% price increase in March. As of March 2025, the average price for clean coffee stood at Ksh1,184 per kilogram, with the top-quality AA and AB grades accounting for 71% of all coffee traded.
While these prices suggest better earnings for farmers, Wetang’ula noted that many still don’t benefit due to internal mismanagement and embezzlement within cooperatives.
He further warned that if corruption in SACCOs and other cooperatives continues unchecked, the boards running them may soon face legal action and serious damage to their public image. This, he said, would have long-term negative effects on the entire cooperative movement.
In a related development, a recent financial report revealed that 58 SACCOs across Kenya are at risk of having their assets auctioned due to failure to repay loans totaling Ksh1.36 billion.
These SACCOs had borrowed money from the Kenya Union of Savings and Credit Co-operatives (Kuscco), using deposits worth just Ksh368.39 million as collateral — leaving a huge funding gap of approximately Ksh987.86 million.
Wetang’ula pointed to this as a clear warning sign of poor financial practices that need urgent attention.
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