A fierce rebellion is brewing in the heart of Nyeri as coffee farmers in Mathira vow to reject the government’s controversial Direct Sales Settlement (DSS) system, warning it is a Trojan horse designed to kill the cooperative movement.

The standoff pits the peasant farmers of Mathira against the Ministry of Cooperatives, led by CS Wycliffe Oparanya. [...](asc_slot://start-slot-15)At the center of the storm is a new directive requiring the Nairobi Coffee Exchange (NCE) to remit earnings directly to individual farmers M-Pesa or bank accounts, bypassing the traditional cooperative societies. While the state argues this will curb theft by society officials, farmers see it as a death sentence for the institutions that guarantee their credit.

"Cooperatives Will Die"

Mureithi Maina, Chairman of the Irianini Farmers Cooperative, did not mince words. Speaking to a charged crowd of farmers, he termed the directive "impractical and a flawed boardroom decision." The core argument is financial: cooperatives act as guarantors, allowing farmers to access farm inputs, school fees, and emergency loans against their delivered cherry. If the money goes directly to the farmer, the cooperative loses its collateral, and the lending system collapses.

"How will farmers receive payments directly when coffee is sold in dollars? Are farmers delivering as little as one kilogram expected to open dollar accounts?" Maina posed, highlighting the disconnect between Nairobi bureaucrats and the reality on the ground.

• The Ghost of 1988: The farmers invoked the dark memories of 1988, a year when government interference led to the "disappearance" of an entire coffee crop’s earnings. "We have refused to provide data to the NCE," Maina declared. "We will not be led to the slaughter again."
• The National Opposition: The Mathira revolt is part of a larger wave. The National Coffee Cooperative Union (NACCU) has also rejected the DSS, with Chairman Felix Mureithi Mwai arguing the directive violates the Cooperative Act, which grants societies autonomy.

A Battle for Control

The government’s intent is to streamline the sector and remove "brokers" who eat into the farmer’s shilling. President Ruto has previously promised that coffee farmers would see more money in their pockets. However, the implementation is facing a wall of mistrust. Farmers argue that without the collective bargaining power of the cooperatives, they will be exposed to predatory lenders and unable to afford inputs for the next season.

As the harvest season approaches, the stakes are high. If Mathira farmers make good on their threat to withhold data and produce, it could paralyze the Nairobi Coffee Exchange and embarrass the administration. For now, the farmers are digging in their heels: no cooperative, no coffee.