Man in sex for work scandal wins KTDA elections

Though John Chebochok was mentioned adversely, he was never charged in a court of law after his alleged victims failed to come forward. [File, Standard]

John Chebochok, the man implicated in a sex-for-work scandal by a report prepared by the BBC, is among those elected as directors of smallholder tea factories.

Chebochok was elected as the director of Toror Tea Factory, owned by the Kenya Tea Development Authority (KTDA).

In the election conducted by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Chebochok garnered 396 votes, beating his closest challenger, Stephen Tonui, who received 359 votes, and Simeon Serem, who got 286 votes. The Toror Tea Factory directorship seat had attracted a total of eight candidates.

Chebochok remained on the ballot despite the BBC expose. Though he was mentioned adversely  he was never charged in a court of law after his alleged victims failed to come forward.

He was previously a contractor at James Finlays (now Browns Investment Plc) and was sacked by the multinational tea firm in 2023 after the expose.

Chebochok’s unprecedented win came even after the Kenya Tea Board (KTB) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Willy Mutai wrote a letter to IEBC CEO Hussein Marjan on June 24, highlighting the potential negative repercussions this could have on the global market for Kenyan tea.

Mutai noted that the Articles of Association of Tegat Tea Factory Company Limited, under which Toror Tea Factory falls, stipulate that no person shall be qualified to hold the office of a director unless, among other things, the individual is of good standing in society.

KTDA, through its communication department, reiterated its zero-tolerance policy on gender-based violence, sexual harassment, corruption, and other unethical behaviour.

Efforts to reach him for a comment were futile as he could not be reached on the phone.

Chebochock in a 35-second social media audio released to smallholder tea farmers after his surprise election as Toror Tea Factory director expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the farmers for electing him to the position.

“To all the people in Ainamoi’s KTDA zone, I am Toror director John Chebochock. I take this opportunity to thank God and express my gratitude to you for agreeing to vote for me and loving me enough,” he said.

Chebochock assured Toror Tea Factory farmers that he would be a faithful and prudent director, committed to managing their resources with care and integrity.

“I will take care of your resources the way you have entrusted me with it because I have extensive experience in the tea industry,” he said.

In his campaign posters, Chebochock had promised to bring his industry experience and transparency to the management of Toror Tea Factory. He also pledged to deliver better bonuses and focused leadership.

A media interview scheduled for Sunday at 10:30 by his aide did not take place.

Nevertheless, Chebochock was seen attending a church service in one of the local churches in Kericho town.

The polls were held on Saturday after they failed to take off on Friday due to what was explained as logistical mishaps, against the will of farmers who are affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church whose teachings restrain her faithful from engaging in any work-related activities except for life-saving emergencies.

[Report by Nikko Tanui, Bonface Gikandi, Stanley Ongwae, and Jane Mugambi]