By The Mountain Journal Senior Reporter in Nairobi
Three years ago
nobody could understand how the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) could be removed from the control of the lucrative
tea sector.
Battle over control
of the sector at Kiru tea Factory between Chege Kirundi and the agency has
brought the celebrated Tea Bill which President Uhuru Kenyatta has assented.
It has been a tough battle as Kirundi engaged the agency
through the corridor of justice as former Transport Principal Secretary Irungu
Nyakera, Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture Peter Munya and Interim Director
General at Agriculture Food Authority (AFA) Antony Muriithi educated the farmers on the need to embrace the regulations.
Munya in all his meetings spoke of the President Kenyatta
interest with small scale tea growers to
save them from the yolk of KTDA, which
the farmers claimed over the years had misused them with low returns.
Immediately the bill assented there were celebrations in
tea belt with farmers lauding the government efforts to take over control of
the sector.
This year, Munya
blocked the agency from conducting
director elections as well as farmers annual general meetings at the factories as it moved to enforce the
regulations.
In the regulations,
AFA is charged with
responsibilities to enforce them to ensure farmers get value.
Munya backed by AFA Interim Director General moved around the tea growing areas conducting public participations forums, which KTDA discredited.
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