- The court has halted a leadership change at the tea agency.
- The ruling has reinstated the previous board position pending a November hearing.
- KTDA has assured stakeholders that its operations remain uninterrupted.
The High Court has suspended the election of James Githinji as the new Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) Holdings chairman, a day after the board ousted Enos Njeru.
Justice Francis Kyambia suspended the election of Githinji as chairman of the organisation. He directed Njeru to continue discharging the functions of chairman and restrained Githinji from assuming the position.
“The seventh defendant/respondent is hereby suspended, and the position obtained immediately before the impugned decision be restored and maintained, by restraining the 4th defendant/respondent, whether by himself, his agents or persons acting under his authority from or holding himself out as Chairman,” ruled the Judge.
The matter is scheduled for an inter parties hearing on November 24.
KTDA has since confirmed that Njeru remains the substantive chairman of the board. In a position statement issued on November 4, 2026, the company said the board did hold an election on November 3, 2026, in which Githinji was picked as chairman. However, it added that a court order granting conservatory orders of stay has frozen the status quo until the case is heard and determined.
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The company also assured stakeholders that its operations continue without interruption and promised updates on any new developments.
Njeru had earlier described his ouster as part of an intimidation and blackmail campaign aimed at betraying tea farmers.
“Those who staged the coup had misled the Vice Chairman, Eng. Samson Menjo, that he would assume the Chairmanship position before he was shortchanged,” said Njeru.
Githinji, the chairman at Ngere Tea Factory in Gatanga, Murang’a, was poised to assume the position barely eight months after Njeru was re-elected.
In January last year, Njeru was removed from the position after the board elected Chege Kirundi, the chairman at Kiru Tea Factory.
The rate of change of chairmen at KTDA Holdings is causing panic among stakeholders in the tea sector and calls for sobriety.
By correspondent
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