This archive report was first published on 17 July 2020.
On July 17, 2020, tea farmers in Murang'a expressed their discontent with the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) over plans to deduct part of their bonus to service its loans.
According to the farmers, KTDA planned to deduct Ksh 3 per kilo from their bonus, which they deemed unfair.
Representatives from the farmers, including James Wambugu, Samuel Njunu, and Moffat Kamau, accused KTDA of using unclear reasons to deny farmers maximum returns from their produce.
The farmers also criticized KTDA for moving to court to block the implementation of new regulations introduced by the Ministry of Agriculture, which they believed would benefit small-scale farmers.
Speaking in Kenol market, Wambugu stated, 'We are aware that KTDA has gone to court to challenge the implementation of tea regulations 2020 which were introduced by Agriculture CS. We want to say that KTDA is not in court because of farmers' interest but because of the interests of its management.'
The farmers further accused KTDA of pressuring Parliament to reject the new regulations, which they believed would continue to exploit small-scale farmers.
