Njeru re-elected KTDA chair amid member protests

Enos Njeru has been re-elected the chairman of the giant Kenya Tea Development Authority (KTDA) in polls conducted under tight police security in Mombasa.

In the election overseen by Mr Mathew Odero, KTDA's Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and company secretary, Mr Eric Chepkwony was elected as the vice chairman.

However, the election was rejected by five KTDA board members from Central and Kisii who alleged state interference. The six, led by Gatundu MP Gabriel Kagombe, demanded fresh polls.

Mr Kagombe, the Kiambu tea board member, and his Kisii counterpart James Ombasa termed the election a sham and called for fresh elections on Tuesday at KTDA offices in Nairobi.

Earlier, a total of five candidates, including, Njeru, Chepkwony, Kagombe, Chege Kirundi and John wa Susana were contesting for the chairmanship post. At least 19 board members were expected to participate in the polls.

“We are unhappy with this election because the state has interfered with the farmers’ elections for Chairmanship. We shall hold the genuine elections at our official office in Nairobi," said Kang'ombe.

He added: "The elections have been influenced by the Ministry of Agriculture.  The elections are an exercise for KTDA board members, representatives of the farmers at our Nairobi offices."

Others who opposed the result were James Githinji of the Ngere factory, KTDA Board Member of Zone 2, James Githinji, and John Wasusana of the Kirinyaga tea board.

However, Odero said that the election was free and fair. The polls were witnessed by Agriculture Cabinet Secretary CS agriculture Dr Andrew Karanja and his, Permanent Secretary (PS) Dr Kiprono Ronoh.

Other presenters were Kenya Tea Board Authority (KTBA) Chair Jacob Kahiu. “I declare Enoch Njeru as the duly elected KTDA Chair during the elections held today in Pride Inn," said Odero.

Addressing the board members, Agriculture CS Karanja congratulated Njeru and the Chepkwony for being elected, calling on them to be the champion of the needs of the farmers.

Mr Njeru promised to work closely with his contenders and asked him to support the new team to gain new markets and value add to the tea products for better prices for farmers.

He said during their first term, they made significant progress.

"We ensured prompt monthly payments to our tea farmers, disbursing funds by the 5th of every month. We also saw an increase in monetary returns to our farmers, and we proudly launched the Kenyan premium product, Chai Gold, which has been well-received both locally and internationally,” said Njeru. [Willis Oketch and Joackim Bwana]

He assured the farmers that they will make sure the farmers' issues were addressed adequately.

"As we embark on this second term, I would like to outline the key areas where we will focus our efforts: Implementation of the Tea Act and Management Agreement: We will ensure that the provisions of the Tea Act are fully implemented, as agreed upon. This will provide a strong legal framework for our operations and safeguard the interests of all stakeholders,” said the chairman

He said the board will continue championing tea consumption culture in Kenya.

" We will work towards promoting a strong tea consumption culture within our country. By increasing domestic demand, we can further stabilize and grow our industry. Improving Tea Quality: We are committed to improving the quality of tea produced. This will enhance our competitiveness in the global market and ensure that Kenyan tea continues to be a product of choice," said Njeru

The chairman said he will push for product diversification to reduce the volume of bulk teas stored in our warehouses,

"We will focus on diversifying our product range. This will not only reduce storage costs but also open up new markets for our products,” said Njeru.

Kenya produces over 450 million Kilos of tea, earning the country over Sh120 Billion in export earnings, and 22.0 billion on local sales. KTDA is runs