Kilifi County to revive cashew nut industry

Kilifi County to revive cashew nut industry

The county Government of Kilifi is set to revive the defunct Kilifi District Cooperative Union (KDCU), which led to the collapse of Kilifi Cashew Nuts Company.

Speaking in Kilifi Town during the international cooperative alliance day celebrations, County Chief Officer for tourism and trade, Patience Tsimba, said that they are carrying-out a statutory audit to establish how the cashew-nut industry collapsed.

The county government has also announced that it will be investigating individuals who embezzled public funds in the cooperative union as well as the cashew-nut company before presenting their names to the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC).

County Cooperative Commissioner Mary Mkare added that her office was working with several partners, including non-governmental organisations to sensitise the community on the importance of cashew nut farming ahead of the revival.

Mkare, however, says that the new Kilifi District Cooperative Union will be re-branded, as Kilifi County Cooperative Union.

According to a Parliamentary Hansard, the cashew nut factory closed down unceremoniously in 1997 after an un-serviced Barclays Bank loan of Sh95 million whose security was the company’s premises.

This occasioned the laying off workers and denied cashew nut farmers their major source of income, as well the country’s foreign exchange from cashew nut exports.

 

 

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