New KTDA board takes over, amid inhouse wrangles

KTDA headquarters in Nairobi. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

The newly-elected board of Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) took over the reigns yesterday, marking an end of an era for the ousted directors.

Led by the new chairman David Ichoho Muni, the directors were escorted by police into the new offices at KTDA Plaza in what ended up being a smooth transition, except for a late evening protest from former office holders.

Muni's first task on landing at the Plaza was to issue a memo addressed to all staff of KTDA companies - KTDA Holdings, KTDA Management Services Ltd, Majani Insurance Brokers, KTDA Foundation, Kenya Tea Parkers Ltd, Tea Machinery Engineering Company Ltd, Greenland Fedha, Chai Trading Company Ltd and KTDA Power Company - putting them on notice of the new order.

Besides Muni, the other new directors are Michael Ngatia, Paul Mwangi, Enos Njeru, John Mithamo, Geoffrey Kirundi, Abungana Khasiani, Erick Chepkwony, Thaddeus Mangenya, James Omweno, Wesley Koech and Baptista Kanyaru.

"You are hereby instructed to accord full recognition and cooperation to the new board as it takes over management of the group. We wish to assure all stakeholders that the operations of the group are running smoothly without any interruptions," he said

The takeover brought to an end the leadership of Peter Kanyago, who had been at the helm of the tea agency for many years. The team was elected by 59 other directors elected by tea factories.

However, last evening, a statement from the "Office of the Company Secretary" discounted the changes, describing the 12 as impostors. 

"The said group has purported to distribute amongst themselves positions at KTDA Holdings Plc. We wish to notify KTDA Holdings shareholders and the general public that the meeting was not convened by KTDA Holdings Plc. The public are advised to ignore any pronouncements and declarations by this group of people," the statement said.

The statement said the KTDA Holdings PLC board has not been reconstituted, citing past orders restraining election of directors of tea factories. Further, that all elections held in tea factory companies between March and May were invalid.

"The combined court matters filed by various parties within the tea value chain, come up for directions on June 30, 2021 before the Constitutional Court," it added.