KTDA Affiliated Farmers To Elect 324 Directors

By Rodgers Wagura

The elections of directors of 54 tea processing factories affiliated to the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) will be conducted at the end of the month.

In preparation for the June 28 exercise, the Tea Board of Kenya(TBK) chairman Jacob Kahiu met with security agencies from Central and Eastern regions at FK Resort and SPA near Nyeri town.

“The importance of security agencies in the upcoming elections is to ensure free, fair and credible elections which will be overseen by Kenya’s  electrol body Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC)” Kahiu said while briefing journalists after the meeting.

He added that there have been cases involving directors election in the courts for over 3 years and government came into consensus with Tea Board of Kenya on 14th April this year signed an agreement and taken to a constitutional court declaring that KTDA elections should be held by 1st July 2024 and the TBK came up with the date to honour the court decree.

“The exercise will happen in 1705 stations from 3700 tea buying centers in Kenya’s tea growing zones and this time it will be on secret ballot with one man one vote unlike earlier where voters were the considered with the shares one had in a factory” Kahiu said.

He added that farmers should know that TBK has no preferred candidate and by using IEBC farmers vote will be respected as to the one they want.

“Besides signing contracts with individual factories for the conduct of election for its directors, IEBC will also handle dispute resolution functions emerging from the process.Ministry of Interior and National Administration has also committed to taking control of security so that there is no disruption,” Kahiu added.

Central Regional Commissioner Fredrick Shisia said that they are committed to provide security during the elections so as to ensure farmers rights are respected and their will is done.

“Without security, elections can turn chaotic and the will of the majority overturned and that’s why it is vital to have enough security” he added.