• They said dismantling Kenya Tea Development Agency is not the solution as it has the best structures, responsibility and model in the world.
• The directors spoke at Imenti Tea Factory in South Imenti, Meru. They were drawn from Imenti, Kionyo, Kiegoi, Igembe, Kinoro, Weru tea factories.
Tea company directors from Meru and Tharaka Nithi have lashed out at Agriculture CS Peter Munya for the recent alleged shambolic factory elections.
They said dismantling the Kenya Tea Development Agency is not the solution as it has the best structures, responsibility and model in the world.
The directors spoke at Imenti Tea Factory in South Imenti, Meru. They were drawn from Imenti, Kionyo, Kiegoi, Igembe, Kinoro, Weru tea factories.
Paul Ringera, the Zone Seven region’s KTDA board director, said there was no public participation or consultations, adding that KTDA, which has farmers' register and able to vet farmers before elections, should be left to conduct credible and genuine elections "not in the bush or field like it happened in Murang’a".
“All tea going to Mombasa Auction will lead to more supply than the demand, thus tea prices will go down. We have some big estates and factories with overseas buyer contracts who will be disadvantaged. We should look for more markets, follow value chain in reducing costs to increase farmer’s money. The CS is not above the law,” Ringera said.
He said property and company laws were not followed during the "shambolic" elections, adding that people who are not tea farmers are forced to be elected as directors.
“All we want is good leaders not selected in the bush. There are ulterior motives. It is our responsibility to educate our farmers. Farmers were not consulted and only people in the market who wanted KTDA to go. Other countries come to copy from us. Expect service delivery to deteriorate. We anticipate courts to give us reprieve. We are against the clauses like all tea go to Mombasa Auction and not all the regulations,” he said.
Ringera claimed some people are interested in ensuring the factories collapse for them to take over the business and are therefore keen to interfere with their operations. He pointed to a bleak future is farmers do not stand up for their rights.
Bernard Kiruja, the chairman Kionyo factory, said payments to farmers since 50 years ago has been done well because the sector has never been politicised.
“We warn that the tea sector may get destroyed like coffee's. The plans christened to give farmers more cash is hogwash and political gimmicks. The Tea Board should conduct research and seek tea markets.
"The government must find markets, provide free fertiliser, reduce fuel prices, 42 tax payment destroying farmer returns, high electricity prices and people should not be promised unrealistic things,” Kiruja said.
Kinoro factory gender director Selina Williams said the 2020 tea regulations were done without consultation and the counties and other stakeholders’ input was not incorporated.
She said the government should have listened to their views on how to move the sector forward, lamenting that there was no opportunity to air views on the regulations.