This archive report was first published on 18 May 2020.
On May 18, 2020, Nyeri Senator Ephraim Maina called for the prosecution of former and present directors of the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) and Chase Bank managers over the loss of Sh2 billion belonging to small-scale tea farmers.
The money was irregularly placed at Chase Bank, which later collapsed due to poor management and loss of billions of shillings.
Senator Maina alleged that the KTDA directors conspired with the bank's managers to steal the money, which was meant to be used for the construction of small hydro projects for tea factories.
He claimed that the directors and top managers at KTDA knew what they were doing when they banked the money, and that it was a well-choreographed scheme to steal from the farmers.
Senator Maina also called for the dismantling of cartels in the tea industry, which he says continue to impoverish farmers, making it impossible for them to break even due to corruption in the sector.
His comments come at a time when the Ministry of Agriculture has proposed new regulations in the sector, which will see the powers of KTDA crippled.
