The Tea Board of Kenya (TBK) Expresses Concerns About Rising Tea Theft
The Tea Board of Kenya (TBK) has raised alarm over the growing problem of tea theft, urging the implementation of stringent measures to combat this issue that is causing significant losses for tea farmers. TBK has identified Murang’a, Kiambu, Meru, and Kirinyaga as counties where the theft of green tea leaves has recently surged.
TBK Director Mr. Charles Kirigwi has pointed out that the theft of green tea leaves is often linked to the practice of hawking tea, resulting in substantial losses for farmers. He highlighted that a large number of small-scale tea farmers in these counties are affiliated with KTDA management factories, and the theft is undermining the factories' production capacity.
Kirigwi also revealed that some private tea factories in the Mount Kenya region have been implicated in the illegal hawking of green tea leaves and are secretly expanding their production lines to accommodate the stolen produce.
He expressed the Board's commitment to enforcing government directives to eradicate the hawking of green tea leaves and protect farmers from exploitation. Kirigwi emphasized the need to crack down on this practice to prevent further losses.
The Tea Board has initiated inspections of tea factories' processing lines to curb hawking activities and identify collaborators involved in the theft. Preliminary investigations have revealed that certain private factories are purchasing tea leaves outside their designated areas after falsifying license applications from contracted farmers.
To address the issue, the TBK plans to label vehicles involved in tea transportation and disrupt factories with unauthorized processing lines.
Gerald Ngumba, Chairman of the Ikumbi tea factory, representing tea factory directors in the region, appealed to the Ministry of the Interior and National Coordination to take action against those responsible for tea hawking, emphasizing the distressing impact it has on farmers who are losing their produce due to these activities.
Tags: Charles Kirigwi
