Tea matters: MPs say have not been compromised by any player

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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