A woman plucking tea at a plantation in Nandi Hills. FILE
By TOM MATOKE
Elections for directors of tea companies in
Lessos, Nandi County, did not kick off Wednesday after a court stopped
the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) from conducting the polls.
The order followed an application by tea farmers
that they were not given adequate time and information to prepare for
the elections.
Kapsabet resident magistrate B Limo restrained the
agency and its agents from conducting the elections pending the
determination of the case and set the hearing for January 21.
“The KTDA and board of management of Chebut Tea
Factory company is stopped from conducting KTDA election for director
of Lessos division until application before the court is determined,”
said Mr Limo.
The order affects six buying centres in Lessos
division whose farmers had earlier protested that they were yet to
receive share certificates for Mudete and Kaptumo tea factories, which
they helped build.
The agency has two factories in Nandi County — Chebut and Kaptumo — with about 20,000 small-scale tea farmers.
Elections for directors, who will represent
farmers affiliated to the 54 factories managed by the agency, started on
Tuesday and run through this week.
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