By The Mountain Journal Team
Five years ago nobody could imagine Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) was heading to its death bed.
Farmers who resisted the move by the agency faced it rough as they were pursued by the law enforcement agents on implicated criminal charges, through the allege influence.
Mzee Mengo Kipkurui from Bomet county said a few who dared KTDA suffered the consequences.
Kipkurui explained how people suffered under the regime of KTDA saying the regulations backed by President Uhuru Kenyatta who be a relief to the growers if there will be no sabotage.
Irungu Nyakera the tea champion
“Huyu kijana wetu Nyakera ni mfano mzuri kwa kughulikia wakulima walio nyanyaswa na mabwenyenye,” said Mengo.
There is a living testimony of small scale growers in Central Kenya crossed the red line, as they were banned from selling t heir green leaf to the factories for allegedly flouting the rules.
Kenya Small Scale Tea Owners Association (Kussto) that represented the interests of the growers, was reduced to ashes as it occasionally called for countrywide tea plucking boycott.
Nyakera teamed up with Peter Kihungi a former Majority Leader at Murang’a County Assembly to fight for the introduction of the regulations.
There are more than 700,000 tea growers countrywide, with Murang’a county having 10 tea processing factories and producing more green leaf.
At Kiru tea factory, the management under chairmanship of lawyer Chege Kirundi faced the agency as it demanded a forensic audit before renewal of a new management agreement.
There are to boards of management at the factory one led by Kirundi and former Sasini CEO Stephen Githiga following the fight at Kiru.
To cut the long story short, the struggle by the peasants a week ago came to the end through The National Assembly and The Senate after the youth Irungu Nyakera led the crusade to liberate the Kenyan tea growers.
The battle gained momentum after President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya to formulate regulations to safe guard interests of small growers.
Nyakera went extra mile detailing the farmers in the public participation forums, over the need to support introduction of the new order in the tea sector, to lock out the baron who allegedly siphoned growers money.
He was not alone he teamed up with journalist John Kamau also from Murang’a alongside others to fight for the deliberation of the farmers from the control by the cartels
Four years ago, a section of tea growers in Kangema walked out of Kanyenya-ini tea factory and entered in partnership with Ngorongo tea factory, a move that did not please the agency.
Efforts to frustrate the move through the police and politicians flopped, after Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) withdrew the charges against the rebel leaders.
In a candid interview with The Mountain Journal, Nyakera said he was born in Kairo village in Mathioya and understands the challenges facing the sector.
“The regulations formulated by the government will save the growers from being slaves and recognized as producers. For years the growers felt cheated and they appreciated efforts made to salvage them from slavery,” said Nyakera.
Nyakera served as a former Principal Secretary in the Ministries of Transport and Devolution between 2013 and 2017 who says it is unacceptable that the tea growers have remained oppressed as cartels controls the sector.
The regulations demand the farmers are adequately compensated for their green leaf,” said Nyakera who chair the Kenya Tea Lobby Sector.
Agriculture Food Authority (AFA) under Interim Director General Antony Muriithi is duty bound to implement the regulations after the Tea Bill was assented by the President.
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