The boardroom tussle at the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) Holdings Limited has taken a new twist with the Employment and Labour Relations Court reinstating the ousted Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) Francis Miano.
The move comes hardly a day after KTDA chairman Enos Njeru announced the appointment of Mr Kanja Thuku as the acting GCEO replacing Mr Miano, who was said to be proceeding on terminal leave pending retirement.
“The applicant (Engineer Miano) shall continue to discharge his duties and responsibilities as the Group Chief Executive Officer …pending inter partes (between the parties) hearing of the application,” Justice Dr Jacob Gakeri directed on Tuesday, and directed the case be placed before the trial court on November 12, for hearing.
It follows a petition filed by Engineer Miano against the Board chairman Enos Njeru and Mr Kanja Thuku with KTDA named as an interested party.
It kicks off a storm in the organisation, which 700,000 small scale tea growers are dependent on in an industry that directly and indirectly provides a livelihood to 6.5 million Kenyans.
The attempted changes came hardly a week after the ouster of board chairman Enos Njeru by a section of the directors, who picked Mr James Githinji Mwangi as the new boss.
But Mr Njeru returned to office a day later after the High Court froze the ouster and set the hearing of a case filed in court challenging the changes, for hearing on November 24.
The intrigues around the KTDA boardroom changes had deepened on Monday as Mr Miano declined to hand over to Mr Thuku, defying the board chairman in the changes that have further pried open the behind the scenes boardroom fight in the organisation.
Mr Miano fired back at the chairman stating that as far as he was aware and by virtue of his position, there had been no meeting by the board members that resolved to replace him in the top management position.
“The position of the Group Chief Executive Officer reports to the KTDA Holdings board, through the National Chairman. As such, the decision directing me to proceed on terminal leave sits with the Holding Board” Engineer Miano stated in the letter dated November 9.
Kenya Tea Development Agency board chair Enos Njiru Njeru.
Photo credit: Pool
He wrote “In view of the above, as the substantive Group Chief Executive Officer, I am unaware of and board meeting that directed me to proceed on terminal leave and I am also not privy to any Board meeting that approved Mr Kanja Thuku to act as Group CEO”
He demanded to be supplied with the board meetings Minutes that would allow him to hand over the position to the newly appointed acting GCEO, in the absence of which, he stated, he would continue serving in the position.
Mr Miano, in a separate letter to Mr Thuku, noted that the retirement letter required him to hand over, “However, there is no board Directive of Minutes to that effect. It is not clear which Board appointed you to acting GCEO”
“As a matter of procedure, Group CEO appointments are the mandate of the KTDA Holdings Board and Directives as issued as per the Minutes of the Board. In addition, the Group CEO is a Director appointed by the Holdings Board, as such, procedures must be followed. In the absence of such, the status quo remains” Engineer Miano wrote.
He stated “Kindly desist from misleading the Board or the Management and the entire ecosystem of KTDA, that the laid down policies and procedures can be ignored at wish”
Mr Miano, who was appointed on January 16 to serve in an acting capacity, replacing former CEO Wilson Muthaura who retired after serving in the position for four and a half years.
Mr Njeru stated while announcing the appointment, stated that Mr Thuku, who until the changes was the Director Special Programmes at KTDA, was a seasoned industry leader with over 34 years of experience.
“He (Thuku) brings extensive experience and deep institutional knowledge to the role” Mr Njeru stated in the changes, adding that he had served previously as the logistics and fleet management, project management, food manufacturing and agricultural practices, and sustainability strategies and climate smart systems.
The former CEO (Mr Muthaura) was recently awarded Sh1.9 million compensation by the courts after he challenged the manner in which he was retired when he still had pending leave days, after which he was allegedly denied access to his office and a driver. Mr Muthaura was appointed on June 22, 2021 in an acting capacity and went on to serve for four months before subsequent confirmation on October 1, 2021 and eventual exit on January 16, 2026.
Embattled KTDA Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) Francis Miano.
Photo credit: Pool
Another former CEO Samuel Lerionka Tiampati was awarded Sh9.5 million by the Employment and Labour Relations Court for breach of fair labour practices in a case he filed against KTDA Holdings Limited.
The court awarded him the compensation for “unlawful retirement, forcing him out without proper due process, notice or valid reasons”
Mr Tiampati had claimed Sh77.4 million Voluntary Early Retirement package, which Justice Agnes Kiliku Nzei ruled KTDA had acted within its managerial prerogative in revoking the scheme.
For the last 10 months, KTDA has been searching for a substantive CEO with interviews having been conducted, but the manner in which the process was undertaken was disputed leading to a quagmire that has not been unlocked.
Mr Njeru’s ouster (eight months after his return to the top seat), which was subsequently reversed, was the fifth boardroom coup at the KTDA in the last five years in a clear demonstration of the fluid situation in organizations’ leadership.
It marks the highest turnover in the history of the farmers’ organisation that runs 77 factories across the country which are grouped into 54 registered units.
Mr Samson Mosonik Menjo, the Vice chairman of the board survived the ouster, having risen to the position eight months ago replacing James Ombasa Omweno – who held the position only for five months having replaced the late Erick Chepkwony who died in Nairobi on May 21, 2026.
A similar coup saw Nairobi based lawyer Chege Kirundi being elbowed out on March 4, 2026 by Mr Njeru who was making a second comeback to the position having been elected to replace former chairman David Ichohi as the board chairman.
Mr Ichohi’s removal and replacement by Mr Njeru was seen by industry players as having had a government hand with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua having stated during a conference in Kericho in 2023 that the agency’s board were not up to the task and their days were numbered.
Subsequently, Mr Ichohi was replaced on July 17, 2023, but he moved to court, temporarily returning to office before he withdrew the petition and handed it over to Mr Njeru.
But Mr Njeru’s tenure was to be short-lived as he was ousted on January 23, 2025 paving the way for Chege Kirundi who lasted in the position only for one year and three months (leaving on March 4, 2026).
Police officers outside Kenya Tea Development Agency offices in Nairobi.
Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation Media Group
The changes also come amidst a probe by the Tea Board of Kenya (TBK) the tea industry regulator on loans taken by some of the 77 factories that are claimed to have been irregular, without the authority of the shareholders and were allegedly mismanaged.
Low tea bonus in the 2025-2026 financial year has also been a major issue among the small-scale tea growers in the last two months with claims those in the West of Rift were paid less than those from the East of Rift regions.
A total of 17 satellite factories seek autonomy from their mother factory units in what is expected to ease management and enhance marketing by individual factories in a highly competitive international market.
Principal Secretary for Agriculture Dr Paul Kipronoh Ronoh says the government is expanding the global market for tea from Kenya with a focus on Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
China has provided the highest tax-free new market outlet for Kenyan tea replacing countries in the Middle East involved in war and political upheavals.
Britain, South Africa, Australia, Morocco, Nigeria, Egypt, Poland, Sudan, Russia, Pakistan, Ghana are the traditional markets for Kenya’s black Cut, Tea and Curl variety.
But the government is pushing for specialty teas for the niche export markets that would fetch more money for the farmers in the country.
The government has also released Sh4.5 billion for upgrade of processing units in KTDA managed factories in the country to enhance production and cut losses. Some of the equipment in the factories have not been upgraded for 60 years.
