Residents say the thieves take advantage of the time when many people are attending church, leaving farms unattended.
James Waweru and Eliud Muriithi, who are farmers, said the suspects uproot entire coffee stems before taking them away to harvest the cherries elsewhere.
Waweru recounted a recent incident in which he had been left to guard a coffee farm on a Sunday. He said the suspects, who were armed with a panga, overpowered him and escaped with the stolen coffee stems.
The farmers believe the increase in thefts is being driven by the high prices currently being offered for coffee.
“These incidents happen almost every Sunday,” said farmer Jonah Njue.
Residents also claim the suspects have become increasingly bold, alleging that they now steal household items from homes left vacant while families attend church.
“The other day when we were in Kianyaga, they even tampered with my electricity connection,” said another resident, identified as Kibaki.
The farmers said they suspect the perpetrators are people from within the local community and pledged to work closely with security agencies to bring them to justice.
“We will flush them out. We know who they are, even if they try to run away,” said Muriithi.
The residents vowed to remain vigilant and continue protecting their coffee farms, saying the thefts have become more frequent in recent months.
“This was not common before, but now the cases are increasing,” said farmer Eliud Wachira.
