The Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) has been accused of sidelining the Kenya Union of Small-scale Tea Owners [KUSSTO] who are mandated to help tea farmers to know their rights.
According to KUSSTO, they have claimed that KTDA management from both Nyamira and Kisii counties has ignored to listen to the grievances they have presented on behalf of the suffering tea farmers.
Speaking to us on Wednesday at Kisii town led by their secretary Richard Nyatiro, they said that tea farmers have been suffering without the management considering their plight.
“The Union was formed 10 years ago and there are some resolutions that were passed that to be used by KTDA for the sake of helping tea farmers but nothing so far has been done,” said Nyatiro.
“So we challenge the KTDA management to remember what the union demands of them to do,” added Nyatiro.
For instance, he said that in the year 2002 the union requested that all tea farmers should be included and consulted before the management decided to do anything but that resolution has not been realised by KTDA.
“As by the meeting, we agreed that the Management was to consult all tea farmers before doing anything like deducting some taxes for the sake of fertilizer but KTDA has overlooked that resolution to-date,” added Nyatiro