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Kiambu dairy farmers risk losing Ksh100M grant from World Bank

Sunday, January 15th, 2023 13:13 | By
Bedan Kamau, Manager, Limuru Milk Dairy cooperative society which is mother to the Processing plant. PHOTO/Clement Kamau

Dairy farmers from four sub-counties in Kiambu are set to lose Ksh100 million in funding from the World Bank.

The concerned farmers expressed their fears after the county government declined to honour a Ksh30 million pledge which was one of the conditions set by the donor toward the revival of the Limuru Milk processing plant.

The farmers drawn from Limuru, Kikuyu, Lari and Kabete petitioned President William Ruto to intervene and compel the county government to honour its pledge, failure to which a Ksh100 million grant by the World Bank will be withdrawn.

According to the Limuru Dairy Farmers Co-operative Society manager Bedan Kamau, the World Bank had committed to partially fund the buying of an Ultra Heated Treated (UHT) milk processing machine.

"The machine costs 145m and the WB had already committed to granting us Ksh100m and the farmers had also put aside 15m while the county government had promised to donate Ksh30m toward the project, " he told the media in Limuru.

He added that it's only the county government that was yet to honour its pledge thereby jeopardizing the projects. 

The manager noted that the WB had given the facility management a December last year deadline but local leaders sought an extension to give the Kimani Wamatangi-led administration time to fulfill its commitment.

"The governor promised to write a formal letter to the donor seeking an extension but we are reliably told that he is yet to do it and our fear is that the money will be withdrawn unless prompt measures are taken," he said.

Limuru MP Kiragu Chege while confirming that the donor might withdraw its support and consequently kill the project urged the governor to openly declare his administration's position on the matter.

He said that the plant's management and a host of Members of the County from the area had met with the governor at the county headquarters last year where he committed that the cash would be availed.

"We went to his office and we agreed that he would take up the matter which had been agreed upon in 2019 during governor James Nyoro's reign. He assuredly told my team that all will be well but the delay we are noticing is worrisome, " he said.

He regretted that the funding might be withdrawn and given to another county thereby exposing farmers to the vagaries of poverty.

"Dairy farming is the backbone of our people's economy and the installation of the UHT machine can add value to farmers' milk and increase productivity, " he said.

Ndeiya Farmer Peter Muchendu who is also a political analyst and a former confidant of Wamatangi challenged the governor to tell farmers the truth instead of taking them in circles.

"Wamatangi lied to the directors and leaders that he had written to have an extension of the  28th December 2022 project realization deadline be extended. However, upon following up, we have established that no letter has been written by the county and that is how Limuru has lost 100m WB funding, " he said.

Efforts to get the governor's side of the story were futile with our calls going unanswered.

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