Night meetings on tea reforms, after CS Peter Munya regulations takes centre stage
By The Mountain Journal
The race to occupy the Kenya Tea Development Authority (KTDA) chairmanship has attracted five persons from the Mt Kenya tea growing belt.
In the race to take the seat currently occupied by Peter Kanyago who stayed out of special elections backed by the government those in the contest are Chege Kirundi (Murang’a), John Mithamo Wasusan (Kirinyaga), Paul Kagema (Thika) and David Ichohi Muni (Kiambu).
Kanyago lost the Chinga factory chairmanship after he failed to contest for the directorship slot in his home area as the policy demands.
The seven board members from East of Rift tea growing counties of Meru, Embu, Murang’a, Nyeri and Kiambu and Kirinyaga on Tuesday held a meeting at a hotel in Kenol township in Muranga county.
The elections were ordered by Agriculture CS Peter Munya to implement the new regulations designed to empower the small scall growers who had been exploited for long.
During the Monday meeting, they deliberated on the strategies to get the best outcome in the impending KTDA national board elections.
The East of the Rift Valley tea belt produce the KTDA chairman while the West of the Rift counties produce the vice chairman in a geopolitical power sharing arrangement.
The late former Meru regional director Stephen M’Imanyara chaired the board until 2010 when he was replaced by Kanyago who represented Nyeri region.
The front runners for the chairmanship are Kirundi an experienced lawyer and Mithamo who is also a lawyer who have to ensure they clinch the majority of votes in the 12 man board.
Speaking separately Kirundi and Mithamo said they have been meeting the directors from the tea growing areas to win their support to attain the lucrative national slot.
“We have been part of the reform in the tea sector and we have been holding sessions to support efforts to streamline the industry that had been run down by the former management,” said Kirundi.
Kirundi is a declared enemy to KTDA leadership after he in 2018 instituted a battle after his Kiru tea Factory board sacked Dr Kennedy Omanga and replaced him as the company secretary with Benard Kiragu.
Kirundi also wrote to the agency seeking to review green leaf payment from Sh15 to Sh25 per month, as per the demand of the growers to match with the increased cost of living.
Mithamo said in the nomination they will look into the character of each board member to ensure those being pushed by the former directors do not get into the national office.
“We need an honest team that will push the farmers agenda as outlined in the tea regulations 2020 that was introduced by agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya,” said Mithamo.
However, the chairman of Mt Kenya Aberdare Tea Growers Association Wambugu Gachunji on his part said the board members first business should be the release of mini bonus long suffering growers.
“The farmers are currently at the mercy of shylocks following the delay to release their mini bonus which was due in April,” said Wambugu who is affiliated to Kanyenya-ini Tea Factory.
The directors from the east are David Ichochi Moni- (Kiambu),Paul Kagema (Thika),Chege Kirundi(Murang’a),Michael Mundia(Nyeri),John Mithamo(Kirinyaga) and Njeru Enos(Embu) and Baptista Muriki( Meru).
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