By Mandere Onyinkwa
The Ministry of Agriculture has ordered directors affiliated with Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) Holdings Ltd to resign from their roles in tea factories across the country.
In a sweeping enforcement of the Tea Act, 2020, Ministry cited conflict of interest and governance violations as the reason as to why the decision was arrived at.
The directive, issued by Dr. Kipronoh Ronoh, Principal Secretary, follows non-compliance with Section 34(9) and (10) of the Tea Act, which bars factory directors from holding positions in companies that have commercial dealings with the factories.
The government flagged KTDA Holdings and eight of its subsidiaries—including Chai Trading, Greenland Fedha, and Majani Insurance Brokers—as being in breach.
KTDA, a key player in Kenya’s tea sector, oversees over 60 tea factories and supports hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers.
However, its complex web of subsidiaries has long raised questions about transparency and accountability.
“All affected directors must relinquish their positions and submit amended CR12 forms within 30 days,” the letter states.
The Ministry also instructed KTDA to revise its internal governance documents to align with the Tea Act and other laws.