Tea farmers from Mataara tea factory in Gatundu North have raised concerns over a plot to change the current factory directors. The farmers divulged that a section of influential shareholders from the factory have convened an Annual General Meeting where they plan to hold elections in a bid to overthrow the current leadership.
The farmers said that the planned meeting set to be conducted at Mataara primary school grounds on Saturday has not been sanctioned by neither the farmers nor the Kenya Tea Development Agency which is the regulating authority.
Led by Peter Gicheha, the farmers individuals gunning for leadership positions at the factory are behind meeting.
Gicheha said that the planned elections are an illegality and not allowed by the factory’s Articles of Association which indicates that all elections must be held in tea buying centres or at the factory premises. Gicheha said that the conveners of the meeting are planning to hold elections. We haven’t seen anyone asking farmers to support them for any position. We also don’t understand how the elections will be conducted or who will oversee them. We are totally against the meeting and the preceding elections and we won’t allow any takeover of the factory leadership.
The farmers said that they will only participate in elections that will be called for by KTDA or until the court allows the elections that were ordered by the Presidential Executive order in March 12, 2021. President Uhuru Kenyatta in the order had directed the Tea Board of Kenya to conduct elections in all 54 KTDA factories across the country but High Court judge Justice Antony Mrima while suspending the order said that the Executive have no powers to sanction polls in the factory after KTDA protested the Presidential Order at the court.
Farmer John Ngige noted that some individuals behind the Saturday meeting want to get to top factory positions through and illegal process. Ngige said that they have never seen any tea elections being conducted in schools. That’s why those behind the meeting have hired goons to ensure that legitimate farmers do not call off the meeting. We will however not accept any outcome of the meeting.
The farmers called on Kiambu County Commissioner Wilson Wanyanga to ensure that the meeting doesn’t take place for the sake of innocent farmers and to ensure that no individual imposes themselves to their leadership.
Moses Mungai said they have had many chaotic elections that had extreme bad results. We don’t want a recap of the same. We plead with the authorities to intervene and avert any ugly altercations.