The Mountain Journal
An uproar is looming in Kiambu between the KTDA tea factories leadership and the local County Government following the introduction of the contentious Agriculture Infrastructure maintenance fee the directors are resisting.
The KTDA factories chairmen led by the local board Member and Gatundu South MP Gabriel Kagombe, in a memorandum dated June 22 to Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi, they have declared their opposition to the maintenance fee, as they sought for intervention citing its negative impact in the tea sector.
The factory officials objected to paying the maintenance fee calculated at 0.5 percent of the amount payable to the producer seeking for his intervention on the establishment of a consultative framework between the County Government and the tea sector.
Kagombe when reached for comments said the governor had allowed for a meeting before he cancelled as we had sought an appointment focusing on the establishment of a consultative framework between the County Government and the tea sector.
“ We had asked for a consultative meeting with the governor and fixed it on Thursday last week, before he cancelled it himself,” said Kagombe.
The directors representing the factories of Kagwe, Kambaa, Gachege, Mataara and Theta /Ndarugu points that on May 14, they had received letters from the county government that required each factory to declare the total amount payable to tea farmers for purposes of assessment and collection of the Agricultural Infrastructure Maintenance Fee.
The Kiambu County Finance Act, 2025 introduces permit fees for the transportation of cash crops within the County fees are payable on a monthly basis, and are assessed according to vehicle tonnage, ranging from KSh. 1,000 to KSh. 3,000 per vehicle per month.
Kagombe in a virtual meeting with his constituents on Monday highlighted the collection of fees on the transportation of green leaf, firewood from the tea factories plantations.
They accused the devolved unit for failure to do access roads in the tea catchment.
They propose that the devolved units initiate amendments to remove tea from the Agricultural Infrastructure Maintenance Fee framework.
They called for immediate suspension on the implementation and enforcement of the County letter dated 14th May 2026, pending consultations with tea stakeholders.
“The County Government initiates amendments to remove tea from the Agricultural Infrastructure Maintenance Fee framework. Harmonization of Levies The County Government works with the National Government and tea stakeholders to harmonize the Tea Levy and County charges so that tea farmers are not subjected to double taxation,” read part of the memorandum..
