This archive report was first published on 10 September 2021.
Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) has announced the resignation of its long-serving chief executive officer, Lerionka Tiampati, on September 9, 2021.
Mr. Tiampati's exit comes less than three months after he was sent on compulsory leave by the new board, which had suspended him along with five other officials on June 20, 2021.
The board had cited the need for investigations into the conduct of the suspended officials, including company secretary John Omanga, managing director Alfred Njagi, finance and strategy director Benson Ngari, and general manager ICT David Mbugua.
According to KTDA, a forensic audit of the operational and financial system will be undertaken in due course, and procurement contracts will be reviewed to ascertain value for money and determine if the services and goods were obtained within market benchmarks.
Mr. Tiampati, a banker by profession, had joined KTDA in 2004 as managing director after serving as chief executive officer of Ketepa, a subsidiary of KTDA, from 2001.
His resignation comes amid controversy and a slew of court cases following the government's move to implement tea sector reforms.
"Mr. Tiampati applied for an early exit before the expiry of his contract and this was approved by the board this week," KTDA said in a statement on Friday.
