It has been a busy week for tea growers as
they make a decision to support or abandon push for tea reforms.
The small scale tea growers in Mt Kenya, Rift
Valley and Western tea belts got an opportunity to give their recommendations that will help shape the industry.
The team that gathered farmers views in the counties of Murang’a Kirinyanga and Nyeri was led by Mbeere North MP Martin Njagagua.
Gichugu
MP Gichimu Githinji said the parliament felt the need to listen to the growers
after Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) took its responses to the regulations.
Munya
KTDA chairman Peter Kanyago
Kandara MP Alice Wahome said the farmers have
been expressing their displeasure in the management of the agency for years,
citing poor payment
In the
past two months, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya has been holding
meetings with farmers seeking backing
of the regulations.
The more than 680,000 growers have been
accorded a date with the parliamentary delegated committee on
legislation on tea regulations that have met them in the selected tea
factories.
In the deliberations the farmers are
called for age limit of directors to be 70 years.
They
have also called for the number of the directors to be entered based on the
capacity of the tea process factories.
At Kiru tea factory in Murang’a there the deliberations to reform
Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) started three years ago with sacking
of John Kennedy Omanga as the company
secretary and replaced by Bernard Kiragu, the growers supported the
regulations.
The push to reform the agency management was
started by lawyer Chege Kirundi with backing of the growers.
KTDA replaced Kirundi with Stephen Githiga a
move that has kept the management of the factory divided.
At
Nduti tea factory, in Kandara the growers led by Moffat Mbue, and they only
allowed Gacharage tea factory Chairman Paul Kagema to address the MPs.
The directors from the factories in Kigumo and Gatanga sub-counties watched the
deliberations as mere speculators.
Githiga
speaking on behalf of the directors said the regulations are not clear if they
have been tailored for KTDA or all the players in the tea sector.
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