In Nyeri County, there has been significant upheaval among tea factory directors, reflecting farmers’ frustrations with management.
In the polls conducted by the IEBC and done in selected tea buying centres which acted as polling stations, former directors who were targeting to make a comeback were floored by the current directors.
Murang’a County has 10 tea factories distributed in the tea growing zone stretching through the sub counties of Mathioya, Kangema,Kahuro, Kigumo, Kandara and Gatanga.
Majority of directors who retained their positions were of Nduti, Gatunguru, Njunu, Makomboki, Gacharage and Ikumbi tea factories
Three directors namely, Chege Kirundi of Kiru, John Kahari (Kanyenyaini) and Nancy Wangari of Nduti sailed through after they failed to get competitors at nomination stage.
Out of more than 20 positions, only three directors were re-elected across several factories, including Ragati, Chinga, and Gathuthi.
At Ragati Factory, for instance, former KTDA MD Eustace Karanja was rejected in favor of young Isiah Miano. John Kareu and Charles Ndoria were elected in different zones, replacing former directors who served under the previous CS, Peter Munya.
CS Mithika Linturi launched the elections during visits to factories in Nyeri and Murang’a counties, emphasizing that the polls aim to bring stability to the sector and reduce legal disputes over director appointments. He reiterated that the government had no preferred candidates, allowing farmers to freely elect their representatives.
Linturi challenged tea farmers to elect people of high integrity, trustworthy and who are ready to champion their interests in the sub sector.