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Kisii Man Charged With Sh1.5 Million Coffee Haul

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Published on Thursday, 15 December 2011 19:39

A man who was arrested last week for illegally transporting a consignment of coffee worth Sh1.2 million has been charged in court in Gucha district.

George Njenga was charged before Ogembo Senior Resident Magistrate Richard Koech with conveying consignment of coffee suspected to have been stolen. Njenga was charged that on December 8, along Kenyenya-Etago road in Kenyenya district he was found transporting 160 sacks of coffee.

He was also charged with being in possession of 160 sacks of coffee worth Sh1.2 million without a movement permit from the Coffee Board of Kenya (CBK). Njenga denied the charges and was released on a Sh500, 000 bond. The hearing will resume on January 18 next year. The prosecution had earlier opposed the release of Njenga on bond but his lawyer Julius Ondika objected saying the offence is bailable.

Koech directed that the consignment be stored at CBK offices in Kisii town. Ondika had opposed the storage of the coffee at the stores but Koech said CBK was mandated to regulate the industry. At the same time, Health and Water Foundation NGO boss Evans Misati has called for the establishment of Administration Police posts in all coffee societies following rampant cases of coffee theft and killing of watchmen.

Misati has sponsored the construction of an Administration Police Post at Gesonso coffee society in Manga district where a watchman was recently killed and coffee worth thousands of shillings stolen. "To prevent further loses of lives and coffee, the government should deploy Administration Police officers to all coffee societies," Misati said.