Makueni Agricultre Executive Committee Member Elizabeth Muli Appearing before the Makueni County Assembly Public Accounts and Public Investments Joint Committees on Friday February 13, 2026. Photo by Komu Musango. 
By Andrew Mbuva.
Makueni Agricultre Executive Committee Member Elizabeth Muli has defended her department’s handling of mango produce, revealing that farmers have earned approximately Sh485 million through various off-takers despite widespread post-harvest losses that have sparked investigations in the County.
Appearing before the Makueni County Assembly Public Accounts and Public Investments Joint Committees on Friday, Muli attributed the losses to market saturation, declining produce quality, and structural marketing challenges rather than failure by the county to support farmers.
Muli explained that while previous mango seasons recorded stronger market demand, this year’s production overwhelmed available markets, leading to reduced uptake and increased wastage.
She disclosed that quality concerns also negatively affected the county’s mango market performance. Some export consignments from Kenya were reportedly rejected due to quality standards, damaging buyer confidence and affecting overall market optics.
“The previous market season was better. This season the market has been flooded, and quality challenges have also affected demand,” she said, adding that once mangoes enter national and export markets, they are regarded as Kenyan produce rather than being traced to specific counties.
Despite the challenges, Muli maintained that her department has documented verifiable data showing that mangoes worth Sh485 million have been off-taken through processors, exporters, agents, and collection points across the county.
She noted that while the Kalamba Fruit Processing Plant only processes about one per cent of the county’s total mango production, other market channels collectively absorb significant volumes.
According to data from the Horticulture Crops Directorate, mango utilization across Makueni is distributed across several market segments. On-farm fresh consumption accounts for 18 per cent, urban fresh markets supplying towns such as Nairobi and Mombasa take 8 per cent, rural fresh markets account for another 8 per cent, exports represent 2 per cent, while processing takes up 8 per cent. The remaining portion contributes to post-harvest losses.
Muli emphasized that the county produces 100 per cent of its mango output, but limited processing capacity remains a key challenge.
The Agriculture ECM revealed that investigations are underway following complaints of irregularities in farmer verification and delayed payments.
She announced that the Director of Agriculture has been tasked with investigating allegations that some officers misled stakeholders in compiling farmer lists. Additionally, the Directorate of Cooperatives has launched an independent audit targeting cooperatives and farmers to verify deliveries and payments.
Muli disclosed that her office had received reports indicating that payments amounting to Sh2 million owed to farmers had not been remitted, contrary to contractual agreements requiring cooperatives to pay farmers within 24 hours of produce delivery.
She warned that disciplinary action would be taken against any officers or cooperatives found culpable.
On the issue of cold storage facilities, Muli said the county adopted a market-driven model requiring farmers to only deliver mangoes once buyers had been secured. She noted that cold rooms were established to reduce losses but stressed that storage alone cannot resolve marketing challenges without reliable off-takers.
To address recurring losses, Muli proposed increased funding for the Kalamba processing plant to expand processing capacity and absorb more produce.
She also recommended reintroducing transport and financial subsidies to support local mango off-take, noting that such interventions previously boosted farmer earnings.
Additionally, Muli proposed leveraging institutional markets, including Early Childhood Development Education centres and public hospitals, to create a steady demand for locally produced mangoes.
Muli emphasized the importance of strengthening collaboration between agriculture and trade departments to enhance market identification and access.
She noted that while the agriculture department focuses on production, lack of ready markets leads to oversupply and farmer losses. She urged the activation of trade functions to ensure markets are secured in advance to guide production planning.
“The role of agriculture is to produce, but it becomes a challenge when we overproduce without adequate market linkages,” she told the committee.
The ongoing investigations into the mango value chain are expected to inform policy and structural reforms aimed at protecting farmers from future post-harvest losses.
