KTDA directors free to attend and expect a fair hearing in the farmers meetings
By The
Mountain Journal crew in Othaya
Tea
growers go to poll despite stiff opposition by KTDA
Tea
growers affiliated with three tea factories in Murang’a will go to the polls tomorrow
despite the opposition by Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA).
Already,
the growers affiliated to Gacharage, Ngeere, and Gatunguru tea factories will
hold their extraordinary meetings to deliberate on the future of the sector
following the introduction of Tea Regulations 2020.
The focus
of the election will be at Chinga tea factory in Nyeri county, the home base of
KTDA Charman Peter Kanyago where the farmers will also be going to their extraordinary
meeting.
The
meetings kicked off after the Tea Regulation backed by Agriculture Cabinet
Secretary Pe Munya were passed into law/
Chairman
at Gacharage factory Mr Paul Kagema has confirmed that the meeting will proceed
with 6,000 growers expected in his backyard.
“The
growers affiliated to Gacharage have been invited for the meeting to deliberate
on the future of the sector,” said Kagema.
Last
week, KTDA directors converged at Ngeere tea factory where they castigated
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya for instituting reforms in the tea
sector contrary to the Company Act.
The
elections will also be held in other counties in the Mt Kenya region
tea-growing belt with law enforcers mobilized to provide security.
At Kiru
tea factory in Mathioya, Chairman Chege Kirundi has issued a 21 days’ notice to
the growers for the meetings where there will be an election of the directors.
A week
ago the elections were held in Nduti, Njunu, Makomboki, Ikumbi, Githambo, and
Kanyenya-ini where the chairpersons and their deputies were elected to take
over the management of the factories.
Two
weeks ago President Uhuru Kenyatta issued an Executive Order directing the Attorney
General Institute a probe in the activities of KTDA and its subsidiary
companies and move that has been contested by the agency through civil
litigations.
Tea
farmers at Gacharage, Gathunguru, and Ngeere tea factories in Murang’a say they
are ready to hold their extraordinary meeting on Wednesday ( March 31, 2021)
and face the consequences for fighting for their rights.
Kiru
tea factory will go to the polls on April 16 after the board through the
company secretary issued a 21 days’ notice to the shareholders.
Chairman Chege Kirundi said nothing bars the
farmers from holding their meetings to comply with the government regulation.
“Kiru
was the first factory to sack Kennedy Omanga as the company secretary after
KTDA resisted we conduct a forensic audit in their operations ahead of the
renewal of the management contract,” said Kirundi.
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