Leaders, administrators and dairy farmers in Meru County have commended Meru Dairy Cooperative Union Chief Executive Officer Kenneth Gitonga for what they described as prudent management of farmers’ funds, citing tangible investments that are beginning to benefit members.
The praise were voiced during the official handover of machinery for the Meru Dairy Maziwa Millers Factory at Mitunguu in South Imenti.
State Department for Cooperatives Principal Secretary Patrick Kiburi Kilemi was the chief guest accompanied by his Forestry counterpart Gitonga Mugambi.
Speakers at the event said the management and board had steered the cooperative towards value addition, enabling its products to penetrate markets beyond Kenya to parts of East and Central Africa.
PS Kilemi described Mt Kenya dairy production as a key source of pride and identity for Meru, noting that investments in value addition were critical to sustaining the sector.
Meru Deputy Governor Linda Kiome hailed the establishment of the feed milling plant, saying it would significantly boost dairy productivity in the region.
“We congratulate the CEO and the management for initiating this project. Precision feeding will ensure farmers get quality feeds, and Meru Dairy has taken the county to another level. As a county government, we will continue to support such initiatives,” Ms Kiome said.
She noted that Governor Mutuma M’Ethingia’s administration has been supporting farmers by supplying maize seeds, which will be a key raw material for the feed factory.
The county, she added, also plans to distribute cotton and sunflower seeds to enhance availability of inputs and ensure optimal utilisation of the plant.
According to Kiome, the milling facility marks a major milestone in addressing high animal feed costs while improving the quality of feeds available to dairy farmers.
She urged farmers to take advantage of the facility by increasing production of raw materials.
“This initiative will boost dairy productivity, improve animal health and help diversify farmers’ income,” she said.
CEO Gitonga said the cooperative remained focused on improving milk production and ensuring farmers benefit from investments made by the union, adding that stable partnerships with government and financial institutions had enabled the project to progress.
Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) Meru Branch Manager Lawrence Musyoka said the bank supported the project after detailed engagements with the cooperative’s management, noting that high feed costs had been eroding farmers’ earnings.
“When the proposal was presented to us, it was clear farmers were losing a lot of money on feeds. We are glad the journey we started is now bearing fruit, and we will continue supporting the project until it becomes fully operational,” Musyoka said.
Mitunguu ward MCA Evans Mawira said the project had received Sh100 million from the national government, adding that the arrival of machinery had restored confidence among farmers who had doubted the factory would materialise.
South Imenti MP Shadrack Mwiti, who was represented by Henry Muriungi, said the milling plant would lower the cost of production and increase farmers’ earnings.
He also noted that the area had recently benefited from the delivery of milk coolers.
Meru County Commissioner Jacob Ouma dismissed claims that funds meant for the factory had been misused, saying the completion of the facility demonstrated accountability.
“This factory will transform the local economy. Those who were spreading misinformation can now see the progress being made,” Ouma said, urging farmers to increase production of raw materials to support the plant.
