This archive report was first published on 12 October 2019.
On Saturday, 12 September, Amani National Congress Party leader Musalia Mudavadi visited Murang'a Governor Mwangi wa Iria, sparking curiosity about the reasons behind the meeting.
According to Kibisu Kabatesi, Mudavadi's Personal Assistant, the two leaders met earlier at Moi International Airport in Mombasa to arrange a one-on-one meeting.
The meeting agenda was to discuss the emotive issue of tea farming, which has seen farmers disagree with the government over the privatization of the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA).
Mudavadi's decision to privatize KTDA in 1998 led to farmers' woes, and his visit to Jubilee Governor came just after Murang'a Governor Mwangi took to the court to sue the KTDA on behalf of troubled tea farmers.
The Murang'a county government petitioned the court, stating that there was an unclear substantial drop in tea payments amounting to Ksh2.6 billion, from Ksh11.2 billion in 2018 to Ksh8.9 billion in 2019.
The Murang'a High Court then ordered the Auditor General to conduct an independent audit on tea earnings, bonuses, and the products supplied to the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) in 2018 and 2019.
Mudavadi met Wa Iria to clear the air on his 1998 decision to privatize the agency, which has been a contentious issue for tea farmers.
