How Unilever loses millions to tea leaf thieves

KERICHO, KENYA: It is 5 am and a group of tea pluckers put aside their cups of tea, pick up sacks and dash to pluck tea at Unilever tea company plantation in Kapsaos  in the company’s Kapkorech division/Kimugu operation unit.

To a stranger, the busy tea pluckers seem to be a rare breed of hardworking employees who have no qualms literally breaking their backs for the company.

But they are not.

The group comprising mostly of young men are a crudely armed militia group who illegally pluck Unilever tea at night and even in broad daylight.

According to records by the company with roots in the United Kingdom, it loses approximately 1 ton per day of green leaf which translates to a Sh240, 000 loss to the company per day.

In Kericho County, the most affected areas by illegal green leaf plucking are; Kapsaos in Kapkorech division/Kimugu, Kiptetan in Tagabi and Kitoi in Jamji Operating Unit (OU).

In Bomet county, the most affected areas are; Kapcheluch and Chemosit in Kapgwen, Chepkwarkwaran, Chemosot and Chebangang area in Koiwa Operation Unit (OU).

Joseph Sunday, the Unilever East Africa Corporate Affairs and Sustainability director said the youths from the affected areas have formed militia groups and are armed with crude weapons.

“They manage to pluck the tea by attacking our guards who procedurally are not allowed to arm themselves,” he said

The gangs also take advantage of heavy downpour periods to steal from the company.

“During lightning evacuations of employees, the thieves steal green leaf from weighment points,” said Sunday.

It is only when armed policemen are deployed to deal with the situation that the company can manage to make recoveries of about 500kgs of green leaf per day.

Kericho county Police Commander James Mugera revealed that in November 17th last year, they managed to arrest three of the five notorious green leaf thieves.

Joseph Langat, Victor Kipkoech, Weldon Kiprono Keter who had been armed with machetes, bows and arrows, were charged with two counts of robbery with violence at the Kericho law courts. The case will come for hearing on February 18th.

“We arrested Langat, Kipkoech and Keter plucking green leaf at Chagaik estate. Two suspects are still on the run but it is only a matter of time before we arrest them,” said Mugera.

The county police commander said they were also in pursuit of an owner of a vehicle which had been used by the suspect to ferry the stolen leaf.

“Once we arrest the suspect, we will also consider asking the court to order the forfeiting of the vehicle to the state,” he said

Sunday, nonetheless said main issue in dealing with the green tea leaves thieves were with the courts.

“The penalties are not severe. Convicted suspects are released unconditionally on a guilty plea or being fined an affordable fee,” he said.

The issue of green leaf theft is mostly aggravated by mushrooming of tea companies without tea plantations and an increase in tea buying centres.

The hawkers who supply the green leaf to the private companies currently buy a kilo of tea at around Sh20 and pay on the spot.

The brokers are not deterred by Crops Act which prohibits any person who is not registered with a factory from buying, selling or even transporting tea.

Those found guilty are liable to a fine not exceeding Sh1 million or imprisonment not exceeding two years, or both.

The green leaf tea thieves are also egged on through incitement by politicians that the land belonged to their forefathers and will be reverted to them.

“The idea makes the thieves to act with impunity and blatant disregard of the law,” said Sunday.

Whereas Unilever Tea Company has suffered the brunt of the thefts, James Finlay tea company director of corporate affairs Sammy Kirui said they were not adversely affected by the green leaf theft menace.

“Once in a while the problem is reported. Usually, the suspects are taken to court where the legal process takes its own course,” he said

To deal with the theft in its tea plantations, Unilever has since been forced to acquire patrol utility vehicles for continuous patrols and organize special operations using armed police and 3rd party security.

“We also rely in the deployment of technology (radio comms and 24/7 control room). Sharing of names of notorious green leaf theft suspects with the chiefs and police,” said Sunday.

The company also shares the names of illegal green tea buyers with friendly tea buying companies.

The other strategy is the application of diplomacy through holding open barazas through the provincial administration and intervention through community opinion leaders.

The company recently tried to construct a Sh70M electric fence around its property but the project met stiff resistance from Kericho leaders led by Belgut Member of Parliament Nelson Koech leading to its cancelation

“The projects is a new form of neo-colonialism,” said Koech when he led Kapsuser ward residents in a demonstration.