Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has confronted Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) Holdings directors over their travel expenditure.

Speaking in Mombasa during the induction workshop on Thursday, September 5, 2024, Gachagua lamented over what he termed excessive spending by the directors.

The second in command pointed out that the director’s local and foreign travel expenditures for six months had hit Ksh44 million, a figure that he insisted was beyond the expected limit.

“You know I am a truthful man, so allow me to tell you the truth because if I don’t tell you, the farmers will.

“If you look at foreign travel for directors between January and June 2024, KTDA holdings on foreign and local travel we have spent Ksh44 million,” Gachagua stated.

“Ksh44 million, Directors of Kenya Holdings, between January and June, and all this money will be deducted from the farmers,” the Deputy President reiterated while gazing at the KTDA officials who attended the induction workshop.

Plea to directors

With the new KTDA directors expected to assume office, DP Gachagua has called on the leadership of the agency to slash their expenses.

He informed the directors that their spending habits threaten the entire tea sector, with farmers contemplating ditching the crop.

“So I want to ask you, as you settle to work, let us put effort on how to reduce expenses for the directors so that the farmers can get their rightful share,” Gachagua directed.

“Because if a farmer gives up, he will uproot the tea, and there will be no one to elect you!” the DP retorted.

Besides reducing the general expenditure, the DP further raised concerns over the cost of production per kilogram of tea leaves. He asked the leaders to devise a mechanism to bring down the cost of production.

Additionally, he challenged the directors to find new markets in order to meet the farmers’ demands for better payment for their harvests.

“Anything short of this is a fail,” Gachagua maintained while announcing plans to revamp the tea sector.

“The Tea Board of Kenya must ensure that depend factories and tea brokers who do not do the right thing have their licenses revoked immediately and surcharged,” the Second in Command further directed while promising to lobby support from the national government.

Gachagua wondered why KTDA was outsourcing for legal services yet it had registered lawyers.