- Gachagua continued to put his best foot forward to lay the ground to fight alcohol and drug abuse.
- The DP held meetings with coffee and tea sector players as he sought to consolidate sector gains.
Image: Rigathi Gachagua/X
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua had a busy week.
He attended a key conference of the AIPCA church in Nairobi before flying to Mombasa for a regional security meeting on alcohol and drug abuse.
On Sunday, Gachagua joined President William Ruto for the AIPCA centenary celebrations at the Kasarani Gymnasium Nairobi.
"The AIPCA has remained vibrant in contributing to transforming our society; and being an indigenous Church, it played a crucial role in the liberation of our independent Kenya," Gachagua said.
“Much felicitations to His Eminence Samson Muthuri on your anointing as the Presiding Archbishop and Spiritual Head of the AIPCA.”
The previous night, Gachagua had joined Kikuyu leaders for a music and cultural heritage at the 5th Edition of the Ngogoyo Ya Rware fete in Kieni, Nyeri County.
“Dancing the evening away and sharing our cultural experiences embodies our humanity and reminds us of who we are as a people with a common destiny," Gachagua said in Nyeri.
On Monday Gcahagua was in Mombasa where he opened 12 classes for Frere Town Primary School in Nyali Constituency.
The DP congratulated area MP Mohamed Ali for the great initiative, saying the National Government Constituency Development Fund positively impacts education.
“Supporting education from the foundation- Primary School- through requisite infrastructure is an assurance of good performance and transformative education. This is possible when leaders collaborate, from the national to the grassroots,’’ Gachagua said.
On the same day, Gachagua held a multi-agency meeting with security agencies from the Coast region to strategise on how to tackle alcohol and drug abuse.
“After a candid conversation with key stakeholders at the Coast Region Conference on Ending Illicit Brews and Drugs Abuse we have made a bold decision to sort out this menace, together, once and for all, to save generations from extinction," Gachagua said.
Gachagua said that President William Ruto is committed to supporting the short-term, mid-term and long-term outcomes of the meeting because the actions were also informed by the input of the leaders.
“It is our responsibility to act and the right thing to do. We are committed to sustainably eradicating all forms of narcotics and illegal alcohol not only at the Coast but also across the country. We must dignify our people,” the DP said.
On Wednesday, Gachagua was at JKIA airport to receive Somalia President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
President Mohamud was in the country for the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) convention.
On the same day, Gachagua joined President William Ruto for a bilateral meeting with Ethiopia's Prime Minister, Dr Abiy Ahmed at State House.
“Our people continue to immensely benefit from the Diplomatic and Historical ties between the Republic of Kenya and the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia," Gachagua said.
On Thursday, Gachagua hosted a delegation from Colombia-members of the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia who were in the country for a five-day peer-to-peer review.
“In our commitment to the coffee, tea, and milk subsectors, we remain upbeat to our promise to the people of Kenya, especially the smallholder farmers. Kenya continues to explore various collaborations and global partnerships towards this end,” Gachagua said.
The DP said that the knowledge exchange on coffee farming and research on the crop continues to take shape as collaboration is expected in the coming days.
On the same day, Gachagua presided over the release of the Tea Sector Performance Report, 2023, at Tea House, Nairobi.
The DP said farmers deserve better returns on their investment and it is wrong for actors in the industry to file cases that hinder efforts to make the sector more lucrative.
“Court cases have frustrated reforms in the subsector. I call upon stakeholders who genuinely mean well to withdraw the cases and allow these reforms to be implemented fully for the benefit of the Kenyan farmer,” Gachagua said.
He said members affiliated with the Kenya Tea Development Agency will not be allowed to run for factories’ Board of Directors elections if they have filed cases against the agency.
“People who are greedy for power have taken farmers to court and their lawyers are being paid from farmers’ earnings. It is not right,” Gachagua said.
Gachagua said that in one year since the government rolled out reforms in the tea sector, production has shot up, exporting 523 million Kgs of tea which was a remarkable increase from 450 million Kgs in 2022.
“Owing to the higher production, tea earnings rose to Sh180 billion last year up from Sh138 billion in 2022,’’ the DP said.
On Friday Gachagua was in Embu County where he attended the Livestock, Dairy and Fisheries Exhibition at Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation Grounds.
“From these efforts, among others, dairy farmers will receive Sh50 per litre starting today; this will get better because our interest is best returns for our hardworking farmers," Gachagua said.
The DP said that the Reforms in the various subsectors: Dairy, Tea and Coffee, and Miraa, among others, have injected the required impetus for a stronger and more productive Agriculture Sector.