The Departmental Committee on Agriculture, Livestock, and Fisheries has today kicked off a four-days long series of Meetings, Inspection Visits, and Public Petition Hearings in Kirinyaga, Embu, and Meru Counties.
The Sub-Committee delegation, which is led by Vice Chairperson Hon Catherine Waruguru (Woman Representative, Laikipia County), today made an inspection visit of the Kangaita Tea Factory, after which the legislators held Public Hearings from the Tea Farmers, Kenya Tea Development Authority, and the Tea Board of Kenya.
The Hearings by the Sub-Committee, were in regard to a Public Petition presented to the National Assembly by Hon John Munene Wambugu (MP, Kirinyaga Central) on behalf of Tea Farmers regarding the Safeguarding of Public Interest in the use of Kangata Tea Farm land to establish a Japanese Specialty Green Tea Production Factory by the Kenya Tea Development Agency.
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The petitioners are seeking the National Assembly’s intervention to stop the KTDA from setting up the factory and suspend its intended operations before addressing the concerns of the farmers, among them: the decision to construct the new factory within the already existing Kangaita factory land; fears that the existing factory may be rendered economically unsustainable due to a reduction in the volume of tea processed; the lack of consultation of the farmers before the decision was reached at; and the probable negative impacts the establishment of this specialized tea production factory will have on income of the local Tea Farmers who supply the Kangaita Tea Factory.
Also of major concern to the Committee, as per the petitioners, was the lack of clarity on the ownership of the over 200 hectares Kangaita Farm Land, with KTDA claiming ownership through a lease agreement with the defunct Kirinyaga County Council making the land now legally under the ownership of the National government.
The MPs, before conducting the Public hearings, paid a courtesy call to the Kirinyaga County Commissioner Jim Njoka.
The Members of the Sub-Committee present included:Hon Catherine Waruguru- Vice Chair, MP, Laikipia County, Hon Majimbo Kalasinga- MP, Kabuchai, Hon Janet Sitienei- MP, Turbo, Hon Joyce Kameme- Woman Representative, Machakos County, Hon Geoffery Odanga- MP, Matayos
The Committee is scheduled to hold meetings with Miraa farmers and hold other Public Petition hearings in Embu and Meru Counties in the subsequent days.
