KTDA staff face axe in tea factories management changes

REFORMS: Employees seconded to respective tea factories by the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) risk losing their jobs as newly elected directors supported by the government force conformity to the new reforms.

This includes employees of the KTDA Holdings Ltd and KTDA Management Services (MS) Ltd and the agency affiliated subsidiaries.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya has urged the directors to use all means at their disposal to secure all the assets that belong to the farmers. 

“As you assume your new responsibilities, there is a need for you to ensure continued smooth operations of your respective companies,” he said during a meeting with newly elected tea factory directors at a Nairobi hotel. 

Further, he added, it is necessary that they move to secure all the assets that belong to shareholders and farmers. 

“These include the institutions that were designed to support the operations and management of their companies, notably the Kenya Tea Development Agency (Holdings) Ltd and its subsidiaries,” said Munya.

He said KTDA belongs to farmers and the newly elected directors have the powers to undertake new changes that will conform to the new tea regime.

 KTDA Holding has 12 directors who are elected from 12 clustered tea growing zones while KTDA (MS) is manned by six directors who are experts tapped from various fields by the board of the holding company. 

The employees likely to face the purge if the companies are reorganised include unit managers who oversee the administration of the entire factories. 

Production  managers

Other staff includes production managers, information communications and technology (ICT) managers, field services co-ordinators and the accountants.

Munya called on the new directors to organise how to replace the current 12-KTDA zonal directors.

“The KTDA Holdings Ltd, through its managing agency outfit, the KTDA (MS) Ltd, over the years transformed itself from being a managing agent employed by the factory companies into the principal –the owner of the factories limited companies,” the CS lamented.

The holding company since its establishment 21 years ago has been able to create various subsidiaries to undertake different activities.

The companies include KTDA Management services, KTDA Power, KETEPA, Chai Trading, Majani Insurance Brokers, Tea Machinery and engineering company and KTDA Foundation.