Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has reiterated his commitment to weed out cartels who he said have ‘captured’ KTDA.
Gachagua who spoke Monday when he met directors from the agency said the government will not relent in its push to streamline the sector.
This, he noted, is in a bid to make it more profitable for farmers.
“We are concerned about the capture of the sector by various forces which are working to the disadvantage of the farmers. We want to free the sector from these forces,” said the DP.
“We have no personal interest in the sector other than the interest of the local farmers.
“The situation we have now is not pleasant. It is a vicious cycle of poor returns for our tea farmers. The tea farms make beautiful scenery across the country but the owners remain poor.”
The meeting was just a day after President William Ruto announced that he had tasked DP to spearhead reforms in the tea, coffee and milk sectors and that he had expressed full trust in his ability to reform them.
The group of directors was led by board chairman David Ichoho and chief executive officer Wilson Muthaura.
Principal Secretary in charge of cabinet affairs Julius Korir was also present during the meeting at the DP’s Harambee annex office.
The Deputy President at the same time expressed his willingness to work with the directors to improve the farmers’ fortunes so that farming does not remain a vicious cycle of poor returns and endless pain.
He said the Kenya Tea Development Agency management was now stable and they would work with the directors in the office.
He challenged the directors to work with the government in its bid to streamline the sector.
