At least 700 tea factory directorship candidates have been cleared by IEBC to run for the June 28 election.
The election that will be conducted in the 54 tea factories located in East and West of Rift will be presided by the electoral body following the settlement agreement entered in April after a prolonged legal battle between the current and former directors.
In Mt Kenya region, with 35 tea factories representing the counties of Murang’a, Kirinyaga, Nyeri, Kiambu, Embu, and Meru 400 candidates were last week cleared to vie. Kiru tea factory chairman Lawyer Chege Kirundi has since been declared a director representing Kiamuturi electoral area after he sailed through without an opposer.
KTDA Chairman Enos Njeru drummed support for the current directors saying they have transformed the sector and rehabilitation of the factories and buying centres in their areas. Njeru running for the directorship in Mbui Njeru North electoral zone in Rukuriri factory in Embu pleads with the growers countrywide to rally behind the current directors after they proved profitable to the industry.
” In three years, farmers have benefited with increment of green leaf prices from Sh16 to Sh25, and timely distribution of fertilisers in the buying centres,” said Njeru. Among those cleared to run include photojournalist Kibata Kihu eying to represent Giakabei, in Ragati tea factory, Nahason Ngare kabugua (Mukure North) Mununga Tea Factory.
Chairman of Aberdare and Mt Kenya Tea Grower, Mr Wambugu Gachunji said there was a need for the farmers to elect the right directors to manage their tea factories. ” We need to mobilise the farmers to turn out in large numbers on June 28,” said Wambugu, a farmer affiliated to Kanyenya ini tea factory.
James Githinji the vice chairman at Ngere tea factory says the farmers in the three years have reaped benefits in the sector owing to the conducive environment.” We have done alot for the growers and we hope the team will be re-elected and continue serving,” said Githinji, also a KTDA board member.