Speaking on Monday, May 6, the Second in Command noted that Kiambu and Uasin Gishu Counties had defied an agreement of licencing millers and coffee marketers.
According to Gachagua, they had agreed that marketers should not be licensed as millers to avoid creating conflict.
However, the two counties have reportedly licensed marketers who are also serving as millers.
"In the coffee subsector reforms, we are a bit concerned from the national government that some counties have engaged in activities that undermine those reforms," Gachagua stated.
"Despite having agreed to that we shall not have multiple licences so that the sector is not captured. We did agree that those who mill should not market but some counties contrary to what we agreed have licensed everybody to be millers when they are marketers," he added.
Gachagua noted that defying the agreements waters down the progress in the coffee sector and is likely to cause a crisis in the sector.
He challenged the counties to honour the agreement and avoid undermining his work in coffee and tea reforms in the country as assigned by President William Ruto.
"This undermines the progress we have made so far. I want to request the counties to be part of the reforms and stick to what was agreed on otherwise we shall have a crisis," Gachagua explained.
"We have had problems in Kiambu and Uasin Gishu where the county governments have licensed everybody to be millers contrary to what had been agreed on. I really want to seek your indulgence and cooperation that for these reforms to succeed we need to be true to what was agreed on."
