Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/1506254
20 STiR coffee and tea | 2023 Issue 4 (August / September) KTDA Names New Chair After Unexpected Resignation Enos Njiru Njeru was appointed chairman of the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) following the unexpected resignation of David Muni Ichoho. Njeru, a certified public accountant, has been a trustee on the board of KTDA Holdings since July 2021. He represents farmers from KTDA Zone Six, comprising factories in Embu County, and chairs the Finance, Strategy, and Investment Commit- tee. KTDA operates 69 processing factories that buy tea from 630,000 tea farmers in 16 tea-growing regions. Ichoho submitted a one-sentence, handwritten letter of resignation on July 13, shortly after the conclusion of a Tea Reforms Conference in Kericho chaired by Kenya's deputy president, Rigathi Gachagua. No reason was cited. Ichoho was elected to the post two years ago and awarded a contract that had been due to expire in June 2024. Ichoho immediately filed a lawsuit alleging that he had been coerced to resign. Joining the suit in support of Ichoho were several KTDA board members, the agency's secretary, and CEO. Tea factory directors in the Kiambu district that he represented called the ouster an "unprocedural dethronement." The High Court agreed and temporarily barred the suspension of his contract. Njeru was appointed on the following Monday. Later that week, Ichoho notified the court of his desire to withdraw the suit. Commenting on the resignation, People's Daily reported, "The exit of Ichoho adds to the list of key individuals recruited with the support of the former government of Uhuru Kenyatta who have been kicked out." The two-day, emergency Reforms Conference had been called to quell deadly street protests, vandalism, and theft that forced the closure of factories operated by multinationals Lipton and James Finlay Kenya. KTDA was roundly criticized during the emergency summit. Deputy President Gachagua promised to pursue reforms and audit KTDA directors. He supports changing the election of factory directors from apportioned representation, based on quantity of tea sold, to one-man-one-vote. He announced that former KTDA directors prevented from participating in the 2021 factory elections will be eligible to contest sitting directors in an election scheduled next spring. "Why should we stop them from running?" Gachagua told The Star. "Kenya is a democracy. Let them run. Enos Njiru Njeru is new chairman of Kenya Tea Development Agency. If they messed up, the farmers will reject them, and if they did a good job, they will be re-elected." The factory elections, set for May and June 2024, will be overseen by Njeru. On accepting the position as chairman, Njeru said "Our industry is not immune to change, and we must adapt to remain competitive and sustainable. Embracing innovation, exploring new markets, and diversifying our products will be key to expanding the horizons of the tea sector." — Dan Bolton AWAKEN * *SYNONYM: STiR, stimulate, animate, arouse, excite... Don't Miss a Single STiRring Issue of the World's Leading Industry Magazine for Coffee and Tea. AWAKEN a paid subscription to STiR (coffee and tea magazine) | Visit stir-tea-coffee.com/subscribe | Email malisa@stir-tea-coffee.com w w w. s t i r - t e a - c o ff e e . c o m w w w. s t i r - t e a - c o ff e e . c o m Tea Report