NAIROBI, Kenya — Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba has issued a strongly worded public appeal to President William Ruto, accusing his administration of failing to deliver on key agricultural promises made to farmers during the 2022 campaign period.
In a detailed message shared on her social media pages, Wamuchomba — a former staunch campaigner for the President — said she had resorted to addressing the Head of State publicly after her formal letters to State House went unanswered.
The legislator reminded the President that her support for his bid was anchored on his record as former Agriculture Minister and the hope that he would “turn around agriculture,” particularly for farmers of miraa, macadamia, pyrethrum, cashew nuts, coffee, tea, and sugarcane.
“You came to us and promised heaven-load goodies to the farming communities,” she wrote. “Three years down the line, farmers are still deprived, and others are in court demanding fair practice from the same government they elected.”
Wamuchomba then listed at least eight issues she argued the President must respond to, including unmet pledges, new levies, and decisions farmers claim were made without consultation. Among her grievances:
- Unfulfilled guarantee minimum returns for milk, tea, and coffee.
- Lack of subsidised fertiliser for coffee and tea growers, who she says now buy inputs at market prices.
- Stalled value addition efforts for miraa and muguuka.
- Dwindling tea bonuses, reported at below Sh20 per kilo across the country.
- The new government imposed levies on tea and coffee through executive-sponsored legislation.
- Introduction of a Direct Settlement System (DSS) for farmers’ payments without farmers’ consent — a policy currently suspended by the courts after a legal challenge.
- Absence of subsidised animal feed for the dairy sector.
- Unrealised revival of the macadamia industry, which she says the President personally pledged.
“Promises unkept is betrayal,” Wamuchomba said.
The MP noted that several farming communities have already taken legal action against government-backed reforms, particularly the DSS system, which coffee farmers allege was introduced without proper stakeholder engagement. The court has since issued orders suspending implementation pending a hearing.
Wamuchomba insists that communication must match action.
“As my President,” she wrote, “it’s time for a counter-checklist of what we promised together.”
Her remarks underscore a widening rift between the administration and some of its grassroots allies as debates over agricultural reform, farm-gate prices, and production costs continue to intensify nationwide.
