KTDA denied having any role in managing the election of smallholder tea factory directors except for the administrative purposes of availing farmers’ details and venues for voting.
The Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) on Wednesday, July 3 clarified the election of John Chebochok as its regional director in the Ainamoi Tea Zone, more than a year after he was at the centre of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)’s undercover investigative feature under the BBC Africa Eye segment which exposed claims of widespread sexual abuse affecting tea farms in Kenya.
In a statement, the agency explained that the Tea Act 2020 enacted by the Kenyan government to reform the tea sector changed the process of electing factory directors from the use of shares as a basis of voting to the ‘one-farmer-one vote’ system and the use of independent bodies to manage the elections.
As a legal entity, KTDA denied having any role in managing the election of smallholder tea factory directors except for the administrative purposes of availing farmers’ details and venues for voting.
It instead clarified that the responsibility of conducting elections was bestowed upon the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), adding that the role played by the commission included vetting the candidates, receipt of nomination papers, printing of ballots, voting, and tallying of results.
An image of KTDA offices. /FOOD BUSINESS AFRICA
“Mr John Chebochok was cleared through this process to run for directorship at Tegat Tea Factory (which also owns Toror tea factory) despite being featured in the BBC expose of February 2023 called ‘Sex for Work: The true cost of our tea‘. KTDA released a statement on June 25 urging the Independent bodies to ensure those cleared were not of questionable character and unethical behaviour,” the statement read in part.
The agency added that each factory company is an independent entity with its own memorandum and articles of association that stipulate how the directors’ elections are to be done.
Chebochok was revealed to have been elected by one of the six electoral areas of the factory on Friday, June 28, 2024, and the shareholders of the factory will have to make a final decision at a special general meeting on whether to accept him as a factory director or not.
“We call upon all our tea buyers, stakeholders, and partners to allow us to work with all the concerned players and authorities to resolve concerns raised regarding his nomination due to the legal and procedural complexities outlined above. We shall continuously update you on this since the process of confirming the Directors is yet to be completed.
“KTDA has a zero-tolerance policy on gender-based violence, sexual harassment, corruption, and any other such unethical behaviour and we condemn such acts that pose a great risk not only to Tegat Tea Factory Company but also to the entire tea sector in Kenya,” KTDA assured.
The statement comes as two multinational companies demanded the removal of Chebochok from his newly-elected role. Finlays, after the BBC expose aired, reiterated that it had fired him and others and banned them from its tea estates. It also reported the suspects to the police for investigation, but no charges were ultimately brought.
“It is our strong view that it is untenable for Mr. Chebochok to hold any position within the KTDA. Critically, allowing Mr Chebochok to hold a position of authority in the KTDA serves to counteract the excellent work being done by many stakeholders across Kenya and globally to tackle the issue of sexual and gender-based violence on tea farms. It also undermines our customer/supplier relationship and puts the reputation of the KTDA and the wider Kenyan tea industry, at risk,” Finlays wrote to KTDA in part.
The company based in the UK added that it would cease purchasing tea from the Toror Tea Factory if Chebochok continued to hold the director’s role.
On its part, Lipton Teas and Infusions, a privately held company based in Rotterdam, Netherlands, urged Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi to reverse Chebochok’s appointment, stating that allowing the election undermines President William Ruto’s ambition for Kenyan tea to be recognised worldwide as a mark of quality.
“Lipton Teas and Infusions had been the largest buyer of tea from the Ainamoi zone. In light of these developments, we have immediately ceased purchasing from the Tegat/Toror factory and we are urging our industry partners to do the same until appropriate measures are taken to address this serious issue,” the statement read in part.
Workers at a tea farm in Kenya. /VOA