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STANDOFF: The much-anticipated tea reforms have been dealt a blow after the High Court in Nairobi on Friday stopped the implementation of a gazette notice which sought to form a steering committee to implement the changes. 

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya, gazetted a notice appointing an eight-member committee to, among other tasks, evaluate policy, regulatory and administrative reforms in the tea value chain. 

On Friday, however, the bid to establish the National Steering Committee on the Implementation of Tea Reforms in Kenya was stopped by the courts awaiting the hearing and determination of a judicial review sought by KTDA through lawyer Benson Milimo.

In applying for the judicial review, KTDA argued that some of the persons appointed in the committee have publicly pronounced themselves adversely against KTDA, have cases in court on matters relating to the operations of the company, and others have broken contractual relationships with the tea agency.

Milimo said some committee members had showed open bias against KTDA, hence, were unfit to preside over any issues relating to the company.

Additionally, KTDA argued that Munya had no powers to form the said committee.