A video clip of a Nyeri man uprooting his tea bushes while complaining about hard economic times has gone viral on social media.
The video in Kikuyu language directed at President Uhuru Kenyatta has been shared by hundreds of people and viewed by tens of thousands, the majority of them supporting the farmer from Chinga ward.
Michael Githaiga, 31, popularly known as Mc Myke, is also the chairman of Nyeri Youth Bunge Sacco. He says tea farming is no longer tenable. The Jubilee youth leader claims the UhuRuto government has frustrated Wanjiku.
Githaiga says tea bushes have been in their farms for 30 to 40 years but earnings have declined especially in Uhuru ’s regime.
He expresses despair that the meagre earnings are expected to pay salaries for the bloated Parliament and the big number of other elected leaders and cater to farmers’ needs.
Donning in Jubilee campaign attire, the man is seen uprooting the bushes and at times pausing on a heap of uprooted tea bushes in his farm in Othaya constituency.
“We have never experienced difficult economic times like we are now. Things were much better in times of former presidents Daniel Moi and Mwai Kibaki,” he says.
“I have uprooted these tea bushes because I am no longer earning anything worthwhile from it.”
He adds, “This is because the same bush which is no longer financially productive is also expected to be taxed to pay salaries for my governor, two MCAs including a nominated one, woman representative, senator, MP and yourself (president)."
Githaiga says during Moi's and Kibaki’s regimes, Kenyans were represented by only a few elected individuals.
“During those days, twilight girls from as far as Mombasa, among other areas, used to visit Othaya to celebrate tea proceeds."
Instead, he says, many farmers have been left with thousands of shillings in debt.
The farmer quotes Kenya Tea Development Authority chairman Peter Kanyago, who recently warned farmers that their tea bonus would decline due to the prolonged drought that hit the country late last year and early this year.
Kanyago is also from Chinga.
He says if only tea farmers could be earning Sh80 to Sh100 per kilo, farmers would be in a position to educate their children and accommodate medical expenses.
The chairman says many young men in their thirties have opted not to marry as they cannot support families due to poverty.
Many of the young people, he says, have committed suicide or ventured in overconsumption of alcohol.
Reached for comment, Githaiga told the Star that he represents thousands of youths engaged in tea and coffee farming.
He said a revolution is in the offing where Wanjiku will uproot all her tea bushes and replace them with other crops as they have no say even in the election of KTDA board.
He said he has uprooted 300 tea bushes given to him by his parents and expects to have uprooted everything soon.
“I started uprooting the bushes last year and have been doing it slowly because of lack of finances,” he said.
“Many have come on board and are uprooting theirs only that unlike me, they are doing so silently.”
