Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has claimed coffee cartels looked for him and offering him money on every kilogram of coffee sold in the country.
Gachagua who spoke to media stations in Meru county on Saturday said he turned down the offer because he is contended with what he earns as Kenya's DP.
According to the DP, the cartels first approached Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi when he was appointed to the cabinet and offered him Sh30 million.
He said the CS, however, turned down the offer because of his commitment to the job at hand.
"The cartels have looked for me offering me money on every kilogram of coffee sold. The amount sums up to Sh7 billion there about," he said.
Gachagua however said he did not consider the offer since he is not in need of such money.
"I am done having children, they are educated and at the moment I am the deputy president to William Ruto. I do not need their money for any purpose," he said.
Gachagua said the cartels are very influential and rich people who use resources to manoeuvre in the industry.
He said Linturi himself cannot manage to deal with the cartels adding that it will take him and President William Ruto to finish the cartels.
He spoke ahead of the coffee conference that saw CSs Mithika Linturi (Agriculture), Moses Kuria (Trade) and Simon Chelugui (Ministry of Co-operatives & Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) attend on June 9 and 1o in Meru county.
During the conference, farmers, leaders and participants identified cartels and middlemen as the biggest stumbling block towards better returns for farmers.
The DP said he was ready to work harder to ensure the sector is free of the exploitative middlemen that have denied farmers the rightful returns.
"I’m incorruptible. Nobody can offer me anything to remove me from the path of coffee reforms that will put money in the pockets of farmers. The biggest legacy we will nurture is returning the dignity to the farmers,” he said
