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He sensationally claimed that some of the directors had made many trips around the world at the expense of poor tea farmers.
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"Farmers are very good people and have sent us details, somebody has travelled 36 times out of the country on farmers' money," Gachagua claimed.
Image: TWITTER/RIGATHI GACHAGUA
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has insisted that the government has nothing personal against the Kenya Tea Development Authority Directors but vowed to have them audited for accountability.
Speaking in Kericho on Friday, Gachagua said the government will work with the National Intelligence Service to audit the KTDA directors in the coming days.
The DP, who was addressing delegates attending the Tea Reforms Conference, said they have crucial information about how some of the KTDA directors allegedly mismanaged resources.
He sensationally claimed that some of the directors had made many trips around the world at the expense of poor tea farmers.
"Farmers are very good people and have sent us details, somebody has travelled 36 times out of the country on farmers' money," Gachagua claimed.
"You must agree to work with us or you lose everything, otherwise as government, we have a way of removing you from office so that we work together."
Gachagua said the information has been volunteered by the public whom he said are genuinely keen on the turnaround of the tea sector to benefit farmers.
"We have received very crucial details from farmers, some of whom have texted me because I have never changed my number," Gachagua said.
"I have done a few cross-checking and we are going to give our National Intelligence Service to verify so that we are not accused of being unfair. Once that is processed and verified we shall call you the directors and tell you the truth so that we can agree on how to move forward."
He, however, said the government will not seek to avenge the directors, whom Gachagua has consistently claimed enriched a cabal of rich people at the expense of farmers.
"We shall have a friendly talk with the KTDA directors, we do not intend to hurt anybody but we must agree that we have to sort out the mess in KTDA," the DP said.
"None of us has witch-hunt, we don't wish anybody bad, we don't want to have anybody in problems, we must have our farmer's best interest. There must be a way of getting this money to the farmers."
The government is pushing for radical reforms in the tea sector even as it bets on the changes to make the cash crop well paying for farmers.