Farmers rally support for Mwaniki presidential bid
A section of farmers drawn from the Mt Kenya region has vowed to support and popularise the presidential bid of Jeremiah Mwaniki Nyagah, saying he was best poised to represent their interest in the successive government.
The tea, coffee, rice, livestock, avocado and pineapple farmers from Kiambu, Murang’a, Nyeri, Kirinyaga and Embu counties believe that Mwaniki has been groomed to take up the role played by his father; who they said left behind a remarkable history of championing the co-operative movement before his demise in December 2020.
Mwaniki is son to the late former minister for cooperatives Joe Nyagah.
The farmers led by Dorothy Mukami expressed optimism that Mwaniki will take after his father and help revive the collapsing agricultural sector; which is a source of livelihood to most people, especially in the Mt Kenya region.
Speaking after a commercial farming sensitisation forum in Thika, the farmers regretted that despite the government’s efforts to help revive the fallen agricultural sector in the region, most of them are yet to feel the impact of national government initiatives to effect better prices and improve market conditions for milk, rice, coffee, tea, banana and avocado farming.
“We believe that good leadership is key in the implementation of good systems, that can help our people go back to the lost farming glory when farmers were respected. We believe Mwanikli has our interest at heart and capacity to fight for our welfare,” Nancy Murugi, a tea farmer from Murang’a said.
Fast collapsing
The farmers say that the Mt Kenya region’s economy has been fast collapsing and insisted that only a bold leader will help them revive their hopes for better returns.
Since he announced his presidential bid last month, Mwaniki has been crisscrossing different parts of the country, wooing Kenyans to vote for him in the August 9 polls.
“I believe Kenya is a democratic nation and I know we have had three presidents from this region. That however does not stop any person from the vote-rich region from also going for their dreams,” he said.
