Tea stakeholders from 34 factories in Mt Kenya region passed a vote of no confidence with Tea Board of Kenya Chairman Kamau Kahiu for allegations of favouring the former directors.
The 104 directors said the tea regulator was playing partisan politics through interfering with the management of the factories through forcing early elections.
In a meeting at Kenol, the directors from Murang’a, Kirinyaga, Embu, Kiambu, Meru and Nyeri convened by Gatundu South MP Gabriel Kagombe observed that the roles of TBK were clear, but none was being pursued by Kahiu.
” Am on record having written to AG Justin Muturi questioning why the farmers will be subjected to pay Sh560 million to lawyers who were not engaged by the factories as the policy demands,” said Kagombe. The MP, also a tea farmer, last week kicked off a crusade to stop the tea factories from paying the legal fees demanded by the 14 law firms citing the process lacked transparency.
” The directors are ready for the elections, but the question is on whose interest for the hurried electoral process,” posed Kagombe. The factory directors led by KTDA Board members John Mithamo Wasusana, Chege Kirundi and David Ichoho and chairman to Mt Kenya tea group caucus Mr Gwaragwara Nkosi, the vice chairman at Kiunyu tea factory said if the election will be held in June, if will have a cost effect as the factories will hold two annual general meetings.
They said the election should be held in September that the directors declare the annual bonus payment which they said will be better than in past years.
Wasusana said TBK should stop interfering with the tea factories under the KTDA management, as it has turned a blind eye on what is happening in the private facilities. “The appointing authorities should know Kahiu is a liability in the tea sector as he harbour broker interests. The factory accounts are closed as of June 30th,” said Wasusana.
Kirundi from Kiru tea factory outlined his seven-year struggle towards advocating for tea reforms through effecting changes. “Kiru was the first to fire KTDA company secretary in 2017 and followed with expensive litigation by KTDA and former directors and eventually we won,” said Kirundi and a senior lawyer.
Ichoho, the immediate former KTDA Holding Chairman, said it was unethical for the TBK through the mediation process to direct the election to be held against the tea calendar.
“The directive will force the growers to hold two annual general meetings which will be an expensive affair in all the 54 tea factories,” said Ichoho.