Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah has blamed abuse of office by tea factory leaders for uneven payouts to farmers across the sector.
The Kikuyu Member of Parliament (MP) said poor leadership at the factory level is the biggest threat facing the tea industry. In his view, some factories are run by people who lack the skills to steer a multimillion shilling enterprise.
“You find some tea factories, you have directors who can hardly read or write,” he said. He added that many of these officials have never managed anything before, yet they now oversee the processing and sale of farmers’ leaf.
Ichung’wah did not hide where he thinks this leads. “What do you expect will be the end result?” he asked, pointing to the gap in earnings between farmers served by different factories.
READ:
According to him, factories with sound corporate governance tend to perform better. They are led by people who understand how corporate institutions work, and who can find buyers and market their tea more effectively. Farmers delivering to such factories, he suggested, take home more for the same quality of leaf.
Meanwhile, the Majority Leader sought to reassure growers that relief is being pursued. He said the Tea Board of Kenya (TBK) will address the concerns raised by farmers, including the tea levy.
He explained that the matter is already under discussion. The chair and members of the Committee on Agriculture are engaging the ministry on the levy and related issues, he said.
By our reporter
Get more stories from our website: Sacco Review.
For comments and clarifications, write to: Saccoreview@
Kindly follow us via our social media pages on Facebook: Sacco Review Newspaper for timely updates
Stay ahead of the pack! Grab the latest Sacco Review newspaper!
