Tea farmers in Tigania East, Meru county, have remained adamant that KTDA must build a new factory in the area.
They have refused to deliver their crop to Michimikuru factory until they are told when a new factory will be built at Amugaa in Thangatha ward.
But the Kenya Tea Development Agency has been reluctant to engage the farmers for months, leading to protests.
A meeting called to address the issue on Tuesday ended prematurely after two groups engaged in a shouting march.
KTDA officials were frequently shouted down by some farmers who wanted a committee selected from their six electoral areas to oversee construction of the factory.
Tigania Central deputy county commissioner Obed Mosee stopped the meeting at Michimikuru tea factory.
A section of the farmers wanted their Sh1 contributed since 2007 returned to their accounts while the others demanded a factory at Amugaa.
MCAs Linus Athinya (Kiguchwa) and King’ori Gituma (Thangatha) as well as former Tigania East MP Adams Karauri urged the farmers to be calm and resume deliveries to Michimikuru factory while awaiting a decision during a shareholders' meeting in October.
Gituma said they will resume protests if a factory is not built at Amugaa as demanded by shareholders.
KTDA regional operations manager Afred Njagi said the agency will conduct a study on establishing a factory.
“We will look at all options available and come back to them in the next AGM. We will look on suitability of land to build the satellite, finances available, total cost of the factory, check if the crop can sustain the green it,” Njagi said.
Michimikuru factory chairman Francis Gakura said the farmers receive low pay due to poor quality of tea leaves they deliver.
“Sh269 million is not enough to start a new factory but we hope by the start of its construction there will be enough. We need at least Sh350 million to start,” Gakura said.
Nelson Waweru, in charge of finance at KTDA, said farmers savings for the 13 years amounted to Sh 268.9 million, which is intact.
Waweru said to construct a new factory will cost more than Sh640 million.
