Tea directors from factories in the Mount Kenya region have lamented over the resurgence of cartels who want to siphon farmers’ money.
The directors hailing from Zones one to seven, said that the well-connected individuals are on a mission to sabotage tea reforms by the Government.
The State has been undertaking various reforms to liberate the tea farming from shackles of cartels and ensure that farmers profit from their produce.
The cartels are coveting over KSh560 million that they say should be paid to lawyers who represented them in court in a case they had filed to oppose the implementation of Tea Act 2020.
Addressing journalists on April 19, the over 150 directors said that individuals who have been in the management of the tea sector are after farmers’ money which has been increasing thanks to the reforms in the sector.
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Led by Gatundu South MP Gabriel Kagombe, a director at Theta and Ndarugu tea factories in Zone one in Kiambu County, said that farmers’ earnings have increased from KSh43 billion to approximately KSh80 billion as a result of the reforms and proper management in the recent past.
He added, “For the first time since Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) started managing the smallholder tea factories, farmers are set to receive the biggest bonus in June this year. We know that the cartels are after this hefty money.”
Former KTDA chair, who is also Zone One member David Ichoho said a few individuals are hell-bent to destroy the economy of about seven million Kenyan tea farmers due to their insatiable greed for public money.
Ichoho therefore requested the State to intervene to ensure cartels mission fail.
By our reporter
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