- The announcement now sets the stage for intensive campaigns by the aspirants eying the director seats across the 54 tea factories.
- Over 600,000 tea farmers will participate in the elections across the seven tea growing regions.
Image: FILE
Tea factories under the Kenya Tea Development Agency have been ordered to declare vacancies for directors in preparation for the upcoming elections.
In a letter, the Tea Board of Kenya (TBK) told company secretaries in each of the 54 factories to ensure the directive is effected by June 7 as part of the election process.
TBK, which is overseeing the elections, has already entered into an agreement with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to conduct the polls slated for June 28.
“As part of the election procedure, all positions of directors for your respective factory are required to be declared vacant,” the letter addressed to all factories by TBK CEO Willy Mutai reads.
“The notice for declaration of vacancies should be sent to tea factory and copied to Tea Board of Kenya by close of business June 3,” Mutai said.
The letter was copied to Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi, Principal Secretary Paul Ronoh and TBK chairman Jacob Kahiu.
With the announcement, the stage is now set for intensive campaigns by the aspirants eying the director seats in the tea factories.
The elections follo an out-of-court settlement and a court decree addressing petitions that challenged the provisions of the Tea Act and the legitimacy of the current directors.
Over 600,000 tea farmers will participate in the elections across the seven tea growing regions.
Voting will be through secret ballot based on “one farmer, one vote principle”.
Each of the factories are conducting the elections based on their memoranda and articles of association in a bid to enhance fairness, TBK said.
In conducting the polls, IEBC will be guided by a manual of elections released by TBK.
The notice and timetable for the elections is set to be published and circulated in all the tea buying centers this week.
Among the requirements aspirants are required to submit include Sh10,000 nonrefundable fee, ID card, growers’ slip for 12 months preceding the date of the election, valid KRA tax compliant certificate and police and EACC clearance certificates.
Shortlisted applicants for the posts will be vetted by the electoral body before being cleared to run.
Names of successful candidates will be posted on the tea buying centers before the election date.