This archive report was first published on 10 November 2019.
Senate Committee Calls for Probe into Kenya Tea Development Agency ¶
On November 10, 2019, a Senate ad hoc committee on tea called for President Kenyatta to form a commission of inquiry to investigate issues raised by farmers against the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA).
The committee, led by Senator Ephraim Maina, wants to look into alleged misappropriation of farmers' income in dubious investments by the agency.
Thousands of farmers from 21 tea-growing counties are suffering due to hoarding of their bonuses by the agency, the senators said.
They also called for investigations into alleged loss of Sh21 billion belonging to farmers following the collapse of Chase and Imperial banks.
During public hearings in six counties, farmers said there was lack of transparency and accountability in the tea industry.
The committee observed that growers face numerous challenges, including low farm gate prices, poor extension services, poor access to credit, and low level of farmers' participation in decision-making at various chains.
There are gaps in the policy and legal frameworks in the regulation of tea production and marketing of the finished products.
Senator Maina called for the transformation of KTDA and an end to its monopoly as the produce buyer.
He said the tea sector is following the same route as coffee and sugarcane, which have largely died out.
The senator urged the government to support agriculture as a priority for economic development and to develop policies that will bring back agriculture to the level it was in the 1970s.
