KTDA chairman Kanyago s position in limbo as farmers elect new directors standardmedia.co.ke - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from standardmedia.co.ke Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
THE STANDARD
BUSINESS
Gura Mega hydro power project at Othaya in Nyeri. The project was financed by KTDA to generate power to run the tea factories at aim of lowering the cost of production.[Kibata Kihu, Standard]
Tea farmers at smallholder tea factories have given an insight in to why the clamour for reforms and change of leadership is exciting them.
According to the tea farmers, things can only look up for the players in the subsector after the recent changes proposed by the Tea Act, 2020 and government declaration of intent for reforms.
Paul Mwangi “Wa Gitahi” looks more youthful than his age. In his 60s, he comfortably harvests tea in his farm the whole day and delivers to the local leaf collection centre where he chairs the management committee.
We live by bank credit but things can only look good – tea farmers standardmedia.co.ke - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from standardmedia.co.ke Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
FARMKENYA INITIATIVE
The much anticipated elections under the Tea Act, 2020, take place this Saturday at Chinga Tea Factory.
Reformists championing the Tea Act, 2020, believe the elections at the factory will mark a turning point in the journey to revolutionise the sub-sector.
Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) chairman Peter Kanyago has been a director at Chinga Tea Factory where he has been representing Mumbu-ini West since the late 1990s.
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In the 2,000 transition elections, he became the KTDA director representing Nyeri zone and 10 years later succeeded his Meru counterpart Stephen Mutai Imanyara as KTDA chairman after a power tussle at the privatised agency.
FARMKENYA INITIATIVE
Small-holder tea farmers in parts of Mt Kenya region held elections despite a court order suspending such polls in all the 54 Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) tea factories.
The High Court had suspended an executive order issued by President Uhuru Kenyatta on March 12, directing the Tea Board of Kenya to conduct elections in all KTDA tea factories within 60 days.
However, tea farmers in Nyeri, Kirinyaga, and Embu counties went ahead with the elections barely a week after Murang’a County elected new directors. In Nyeri County, four out of the five tea factories - Gitugi, Iriaini, Ragati and Gathuthi - held elections, with the farmers picking six directors in each factory to represent their interests.