President William Ruto has defended his government's agricultural reforms, saying measures introduced in the sector are beginning to improve farmers' earnings through reduced production costs, better payments and efforts to eliminate cartels.
Speaking during a development tour of Bonchari Constituency in Kisii County, the President said coffee farmers were now earning up to KSh150 per kilogramme, compared to an average of KSh70 previously.
Addressing residents at Kenyoro Market and Nyankororo Primary School grounds, Ruto said the government was committed to ensuring farmers received better returns from their produce while strengthening the agricultural sector.
He also highlighted changes in the sugar industry, saying sugarcane farmers were now receiving payments within seven days of delivering their cane to factories.
The President added that farmers would begin receiving bonuses, while workers in sugar factories were now being paid their salaries monthly.
On the tea sector, Ruto announced a KSh4.2 billion investment to modernise tea factories, saying the improvements would help address challenges affecting production and farmers' earnings.
He identified mismanagement, ageing factory equipment and high electricity costs as some of the factors affecting the industry.
The President said modernising the factories would help improve tea prices and ensure farmers received bonuses more fairly.
He also pledged to sign the proposed Cooperatives Bill, which seeks to strengthen governance and accountability in cooperative societies. Under the proposed law, directors of cooperative societies would be limited to two terms of three years each.
Ruto said the reforms were intended to improve management of cooperatives and protect farmers from exploitation by individuals entrusted with running their organisations.
The President also defended his government's investment in education, saying 100,000 teachers had been employed over the past three years.
He announced that another 20,000 teachers would be recruited in December, adding that the government had also constructed 23,000 additional classrooms to improve learning conditions in schools.
During the visit, Ruto launched the construction of the 22-kilometre Kenyoro SDA–Riana Market–Kerina Road, which he said would improve transport and access to markets in Bonchari.
He also commissioned Nyankororo Primary School, where 12 classrooms have been constructed with support from Safaricom.
Kisii Governor Simba Arati, who accompanied the President, raised concerns over disparities in tea bonus payments. He called for fair representation of farmers from the western tea-growing region in the management of tea factories.
Arati said the interests of farmers from the region needed to be considered in decisions affecting the tea industry, particularly the distribution of bonuses.
Cabinet Secretaries Opiyo Wandayi and Julius Ogamba, several Members of Parliament and other county leaders also attended the event.
The President's visit focused on agricultural reforms, education and infrastructure development, with the government outlining its plans to improve farmers' incomes and expand access to essential services in the region.
