Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru has asked the National Government to allow rice farmers to buy the Mwea Rice Mills (MRM) when it is offered for privatisation.
Waiguru said farmers own 45 percent of MRM, so it is only logical that they are given the priority to buy 55 per cent of the national government’s stake in the facility.
The governor said the county government would help the farmers acquire the shares of the national government so that they could run the factory.
Speaking during Jamhuri Day celebrations at Good Samaritan Secondary School grounds in Mutithi, Mwea, the governor said, “By owning the mill, the farmers will operate and manage it as a profit-making venture, providing an avenue for the farmers to gain economic independence. As a county, we will make sure that any agreements made will leave our rice farmers more empowered and not feeling disenfranchised.”
The governor accused a section of local politicians of using the MRM privatisation issue as a 2027 campaign tool instead of offering advice to farmers to strategically position themselves to buy the facility.
She asked farmers to organise themselves and join rice cooperatives to pull resources together and buy the facility.
Waiguru said the farmers stand to reap more by supporting the initiative by the government to make the rice mills self-sustaining and profit-making facilities.
“It is, therefore, my duty to advise the farmers to position themselves strategically to take up the offer to buy government shares when that time comes,” she said.
She has urged Kenyans to continue supporting President William Ruto’s efforts towards the recovery of the economy.
Waiguru said the country is on the right path, and soon it will be out of the woods.
While using an analogy, Waiguru likened the country’s economy to a patient admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) whose transition through the HDU, the general ward, and eventually recovery is normally painful and long, but in the end, the results are seen when the patient is discharged from the hospital after full recovery.
“We are well aware of the high cost of living; however, I assure you that we are on the right path, and soon we will be out of the woods. I encourage all of us to have faith that the Kenya Kwanza will shortly get this country on its growth path again,” she said.
To help Kirinyaga coffee farmers effectively participate in the Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE), Waiguru said the county government will support Kirinyaga Slopes Coffee Brokerage Company Limited with Sh. 50 million to construct warehouses for grading coffee.
Waiguru said the support will help boost the capacity of the company so that it can handle all the coffee produced by farmers.
The governor said that Kirinyaga has been one of the fastest-growing counties under devolution and expressed her commitment to the implementation of “Mountain Cities Blue Print 2032.”
By David Wandeto
