Farmers allied to the Makomboki tea factory in Murang’a county are accusing Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) for opposing implementation of Tea Act 2020.
The farmers have decried that after the Bill was assented to law in December 2020, KTDA which manages tea of small-scale tea holders have instituted court cases in effort to ensure the new regulations in the sector will not see light of the day.
During a sensitization forum about the new law at Mairi area in Kangari ward yesterday, the farmers castigated the KTDA of using their money to pay legal fees to block regulations aimed to streamline the tea sector and ensure farmers get more returns from their produce.
They alleged that KTDA is using millions of shillings which belong to farmers to pay legal fees without their consent.
The farmers led by former planning principal secretary Irungu Nyakera asked the government to start implementing pertinent sections of the law so that they can start benefiting from the new regulations.
Nyakera addressing hundreds of farmers said the law was expected to come to full force from January this year but the court injunction which was issued after KTDA filed a petition has slowed down implementation of the law.
The former PS who is also a tea farmer said important issues in the law like formation of tea board, registration of farmers, monthly pay, elections of factory directors and governance of the KTDA need to be allowed to take place and benefit tea farmers.
A local farmer, Mukuna Kariuki, allied to Ngere tea factory asked KTDA to withdraw their case seeking to oppose the new law.
He accused management of the agency for failing to educate farmers about the new regulations but instead used millions of shillings to oppose the new law.