By January of the following year, the results of a forensic audit of the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) and affiliated enterprises will be known.
The audit, according to the agency’s head David Ichoho, spans five years and involves factories, nine subsidiary firms, and KTDA Holdings.
Mr Ichoho stated that in addition to identifying the agency’s true financial position, the audit will also evaluate what action should be done against former directors who were fired when Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya launched tea reforms.
“The forensic investigation is still ongoing.” We are currently awaiting the results. In January, the Kenya Tea Development Agency’s management and factory directors will reveal the truth,” Ichoho added.
At the same time, it was announced that farmers would be paid their dues on the fifth day of every month, and that the bonus payment for the next year would be given in October, two months ahead of schedule.
After the government put aside Sh274.47 per kilo of produced tea in July, tea producers expect a boom.
Since President Uhuru Kenyatta approved the Tea Act 2021, which was proposed by Kericho senator Aaron Cheruiyot, tea prices have risen.
Prices improved by 53% in the week before the reserve price was introduced in July throughout the four months under KTDA review (July – November 2021).
“The Kenya Tea Development Agency’s board of directors will convene and announce the bonus payment two months ahead of schedule,” Ichoho stated.
Ichoho encouraged farmers to take advantage of the subsidized fertilizer, which retails between 2,500 and 2,600 after the government donated Sh1 billion to the farmers, during the homecoming ceremony of KTDA vice chairman Wesley Koech, held in Bureti constituency.
Small-scale tea growers in four counties, including Kericho, have begun replacing dormant tea clones with drought-resistant and high-yielding kinds, according to the release.
