Farmers fault Uhuru over pyrethrum firm board chair appointment

At the same time, the farmers are unhappy with the Agriculture Cabinet Secretary (CS) Peter Munya for appointing Ms Stella Wanjiru, Mr Lawrence Munene Ngari, Mr Bowen Chebwai, Ms Nasra Kochale and Mr Janaro Guantai Ithinji to the board of the PPCK.

Interestingly, five of the board members namely- Mr Wachira, Mr Ngari, Mr Chebwai, Ms Kochale and Mr Guantai were last year appointed by the CS in the national steering committee on the revitalisation and revival of cotton and pyrethrum value chains.

The national steering committee has not made its report public since it was appointed in May last year.

The Pyrethrum Growers Association (PGA) has raised the red flag on this appointment arguing that appointing members of the steering committee to the board was a conflict of interest as they are unlikely to implement their report.

"You cannot appoint members of a steering committee investigating what is ailing the sector to be directors. It seems it is payback time and this is unprofessional. Pyrethrum is a sector that is manned in five zones including Nyanza, Western, Eastern, Central and South Rift Valley and a balanced representation is key to its revival," said PGA national chairperson Justus Mochache Monda.

He said the appointment of the board of directors was a move in the right direction adding, "we have no problems with the directors as individuals but farmers in those regions should have been allowed to nominate directors whose names would have been forwarded to the CS for approval."

"With this kind of boardroom appointment of the board of directors farmers highly doubt whether the government is serious about reviving the ailing sector," added Mr Monda.

PGA said board directors appointment lacked regional representation.