More tea processing factories affiliated with the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) across the country have been rocked by chaos as farmers reject low pay for supplies made in the ended crop season.
In Kirinyaga County, hundreds of tea farmers linked to Thumaita Tea Factory took to the streets to protest poor bonus payment.
The farmers boycotted tea picking yesterday and demonstrated in Kamugunda town, rejecting a Sh46 bonus payment.
“We were promised that we shall be paid Sh60 per kilogramme of tea, but we were shocked when the factory management released Sh46,” a farmer, Stephen Kaunda said.
In Meru, growers affiliated with Miciimikuru Tea Factory rejected a bonus of Sh35 per kilogramme, which was lower than the Sh47 declared by the management last year and also lower than the Sh50 offered by seven other factories within the zone.
During the demos, a section of Miciimikuru factory’s 635-acre tea estate was set ablaze and extensively damaged. Miciimikuru factory board chairman Stephen Kathiri blamed the lower payout on poor performance in orthodox tea prices.
“Since last year we have not sold orthodox tea and are stuck with 786,000 kilograms worth Sh353 million at the warehouse. This has negatively affected our cash flows leading to lower pay,” he said.
In Bomet, chaos erupted at Mogogosiek Tea Factory on Wednesday as farmers staged protests over the low annual bonus payments for their green leaf supplies. One person identified as 28-year-old Robert Chepkwony was killed during the protests.
The demonstration was sparked by the Sh20 per kilogramme bonus announced by the factory’s directors last week, a figure farmers termed very low.
Kenya’s tea industry has been hit by a major pile-up of unsold stocks. Industry data shows that more than 100 million kilogrammes of tea have gone unsold since last year, affecting top producers such as the KTDA.
