This archive report was first published on 23 May 2020.
On Saturday, Kenya Tea Development Agency Limited (KTDA) made a significant contribution to the fight against COVID-19 in Kenya by donating Kshs 20 Million to the Kenya COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund.
The donation, which totals Kshs 20 Million, was made possible through the collective efforts of all 69 factories managed by KTDA across the country, as well as a section of KTDA Holdings subsidiaries operating in the tea value chain.
The subsidiaries involved in the donation include KTDA Management Services, KETEPA, Chai Trading Company Limited, Majani Insurance Brokers, and Green Land Fedha Limited.
KTDA Chief Executive Officer, Lerionka Tiampati, presented the donation to the Kenya COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre.
Speaking at the occasion, Tiampati commended the government for its efforts to cushion Kenyans from the effects of the pandemic, saying, "We commend the government for the steps it has taken to shield Kenyans from the effects of this pandemic; and as a responsible corporate entity, KTDA Holdings is today pleased to be joining the government in pooling together resources that will go towards attaining this objective look forward to continuing working together with the government in bettering the welfare of Kenyans."
He also acknowledged that the pandemic had affected KTDA's business, saying, "We are also affected by the pandemic as our tea has not been moving as much as it should because of some of the measures that have been put in place to curb the spread of the disease across the country. However, we are still able to pluck, process and sell tea so, despite the tough business environment, we have felt the need to dig deeper and contribute to the fund."
Kenya Covid-19 Emergency Response Fund Chairperson, Jane Karuku, thanked KTDA for its contribution, saying that the fund had received KShs 3.2 billion in cash and kind to date.
KTDA has also taken measures to ensure that government's Covid-19 health measures are being exercised at the smallholder tea farmer level, including installing hand-washing facilities and enforcing social distancing measures at buying centres.
