A cocktail of challenges await re-elected Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) board chairperson Enos Njeru and his new deputy Erick Chepkwony.
Top on the list is uniting the directors, finding new markets for Kenyan tea, cutting operation costs in factories, ensuring farmers are paid on time, lobbying for reforms under the Tea Act, 2020 and entrenching quality production from the farm to the factory.
Mr Njeru and Mr Chepkwony will have to heal the rift caused by their election, with five other directors led by Gatundu South MP Gabriel Kagombe boycotting the poll.
Mr Kagombe and fellow directors Chege Kirundi, John Wasusana, James Omweno and Mwangi Githinji contested the outcome of the poll, claiming there was interference by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Tea Board of Kenya (TBK).
They claimed the election was slated for Thursday this week at KTDA Majani Plaza, a position disputed by KTDA in a statement noting that the change of venue was duly communicated to the directors on August 13.
Mr Njeru has expressed confidence that contentious issues raised by farmers and industry stakeholders would be addressed. He affirmed that one of his main tasks would be to ensure that farmers are paid for green leaves supplied to KTDA factories by the fifth of every month.
“We have made significant progress in the first one year, which was my first term in office, on ensuring farmers are promptly paid. This term we’ll work towards ensuring disbursement of the funds is done by the fifth day of the month” Mr Njeru said.
The duo have also been elected at a time Agriculture Principal Secretary Paul Ronoh has admitted to a glut at the Mombasa Tea Auction, with 100 million kilos of unsold tea in the warehouses.
“Some of the tea had been returned to the auction floor for a record 32 times without it being sold due to the reserve price that was set by the government,” Dr Ronoh said.
Mr Chepkwony confirmed that he gave up his interests for the top seat at the last minute to team up with Mr Njeru.
“In coming together, we were motivated by the fact that we were fronting for similar issues and policies that would help the small-scale farmers across the country to earn more from their produce,” Mr Chepkwony said.
He added: “Our duty now is to unite the directors and address the myriad of challenges facing the industry, with reducing operation costs in factories, opening up new markets being top of the list. We are alive to the fact that there have been challenges relating to the glut at the Mombasa Tea Auction ... We will work towards expanding the export markets for Kenyan tea while improving the quality of the produce.”
There is a shift by KTDA factories to produce specialty teas, especially the orthodox variety that fetch high prices in the markets. Kenya has been dependent on the black CTC (cut, tear and curl) tea to feed her traditional export markets.
