Uganda’s predatory cartels rob Kenyans of fine coffee

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Cheptais OCS Hassan Godana, however, said it has been difficult to make arrests since the cartels are now using children to smuggle coffee along the porous border. “We have increased patrols to stop the illegal trade,” he explains. Western regional coordinator Moses Ombati said stringent measures are needed to curb smuggling. “If locals farmers could be paid well and police work extra hard to dismantle the cartels, then the industry could pick up again,” he said. Eric Wanyela, the chairman of the Bungoma Western Coffee Farmer’s Union, asked the government to revamp existing coffee factories, pay farmers well and brand local coffee. He said the coffee industry was bedevilled by poor marketing, delayed and low payments to farmers. Uganda is ranked among the world’s top coffee producers and in 2016 the sector recorded a 27 per cent growth. Wafula claims 60 per cent of that coffee is stolen from Kenya, although this is inconceivable, especially because he says much of this coffee comes from the counties of Bungoma and Trans Nzoia which are low producers. “Coffee farmers smuggling the produce to Uganda are paid Sh250 per kilo but they get Sh38 per kilo from coffee societies in Kenya or Sh80 from coffee cartels in case they buy directly from the farmer,” he said.
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Children smuggling coffee.