Kisii MCA to table a bill seeking state control of tea sector

A Kisii ward representative will table a bill in the assembly seeking to have the government manage the tea sector.

Kiogoro MCA Samuel Apoko yesterday said that the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) has mismanaged the sector and lost the trust of farmers. 

Apoko said farmers used to earn good returns in tea bonuses when the government controlled the sector.

The MCA told the press in Kisii that due to the low pay this year, some farmers have threatened to uproot their bushes and plant other crops.

“The poor bonus pay to farmers has demonstrated that KTDA is incapable of managing the sector. I am a tea farmer and I equally feel the pinch,” he added.

Apoko urged farmers not to uproot their bushes and continue farming as a solution is sought.

Following the meagre pay, two bank managers have since assured farmers who obtained loans from them that they will revise repayment modalities.

Equity Bank Kisii branch manager Robinson Mirieri and Wakenya Pamoja Sacco CEO  Isaac Omwenga urged the farmers to visit the institutions to agree on new terms. 

Mirieri and Omwenga said they will not compel the farmers to repay them owing to the bonus paid by KTDA.

Speaking to the Star separately, the bankers said tea farmers have played a crucial role in the growth of their institutions and thus will not abandon them.

“I am urging farmers from both Kisii and Nyamira counties not to be demoralised and uproot their tea bushes. I am inviting them to visit us to agree on how to repay,” Mirieri said.

He noted tea prices in international markets fluctuated due to oversupply and demand for coffee from other countries, which affected the Kenyan farmers.

“I appeal to the tea farmers to increase the quality and quantity of tea so that it can compete with that from other countries and fetch high prices, ” he added.

Omwenga said the sacco has more than 40,000 tea farmers, some of whom obtained loans from the institution and pledged to repay from the bonus.

He said the sacco’s management is ready to negotiate with those who obtained loans and reschedule it so that they can service it from their monthly earnings. 

(edited by O. Owino)