KTDA claims Kenyans misled on low tea bonuses

The Kenya Tea Development Agency has dismissed claims that they are behind the lower second payments (popularly known as bonuses) to tea farmers for their produce in 2018/2019 as compared to the previous year.

In a statement on Thursday, KTDA said the recorded low price of tea in this year affected the tea sector worldwide and not Kenya alone.

The agency said that the ongoing speculations are a deliberate falsehood meant to cause disharmony, misunderstanding and confusion in the small-holder tea sub-sector.

KTDA said that low bonus was attributed to the oversupply of tea in the global market as well as a sharp drop in tea prices at the Mombasa International Auction Center.

The agency has also said that political instabilities in countries such as Pakistan, UK, Sudan and Egypt negatively affected tea prices since their currencies were devalued.

The agency said that the low price has not only affected Kenyan farmers but the same thing is being faced by Sri Lanka farmers.

"Low prices had been recorded in the past, more so in 2007 and 2014, hence 2018/2019 is not an exception to the world events. Some media houses have been sued for publishing articles that were meant to tarnish their reputation from the public," the statement read in part.

It maintained that Kenya remains the world's leading tea export destination which had been gained through farmer's hardwork for the past 55 years.

KTDA boss Lerionka Tiampati had earlier said that it's upon farmers to uproot their tea bushes if they felt uncomfortable with it.

His remarks came following a rise in social and mainstream media reports of farmers across the country uprooting tea bushes.

Tiampati said one bad year for the tea sector should not make farmers panic.

"Tea industry performance is cyclic, one year can be bad and the other can be good," the CEO said.

Nyeri Senator Ephraim Maina asked the government to stop the forthcoming KTDA elections and instead send investigative agencies to investigate misuse of funds at the agency.

ODM leader Raila Odinga had asked Parliament to come up with legislation to end monopoly of the agency.

Raila called for an urgent forensic audit at the KTDA board which he said has clinged to power since the year 2000 despite mismanaging the industry.

"There is a shocking story that requires urgent intervention. We are losing tea to corruption and mismanagement," Raila said.