Bureti
Saturday June 8, 2024
KNA by Sarah Njagi
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is set to conduct elections of directors for the 54 small holder tea factories managed by Kenya Tea Development Authority (KTDA) slated for June 28, 2024.
This is the first time IEBC is set to oversee KTD directors’ elections where over 600,000 tea farmers across the country are set to participate in the polls.
Addressing the press at a Kericho hotel following a security briefing of Ministry of Interior and National Administration officers, (IEBC) and Tea Board of Kenya (TBK), TBK Director representing western Kenya Kennedy Kaburi said IEBC will supervise the voting process across the seven regions in the country.
He said that the elections will mark a significant milestone in the tea reforms transformation journey.“We shall use a simple method ‘one grower, one vote’ this is as a result of the tea reforms we have done.
The IEBC is going to manage and conduct the exercise. The Commission will nominate the returning officers for each of the factories as well as appoint the counting clerks in all the poll centers.
The Tea Act 2020 provides the directors of our factories to stay in the factories for three years so the three years expired in the month of April so on 28 June this year we shall be going the elections for our factory directors, “he added.
Mr Kaburi said the Ministry of Interior and National Administration officers were well prepared to ensure law and order is maintained and the elections are conducted without any disruptions.In conducting the poll, the TBK Director said the IEBC will be guided by a manual of elections released by TBK who will act as observers during the elections and ensure the exercise works out seamlessly without issues.
Present also at press briefing, TBK Chief Executive Officer Willy Mutai revealed the voting exercise will be through secret ballot system based on ‘one grower, one vote principle’ where a farmer will get an equal voting stake.
The previous voting system was based on the number of shares a tea farmer had, an issue which many famers claimed favoured those with big farms and many shares.
Mutai added the Commission is also expected to publish a list of qualified candidates including the voter register in all the tea buying centres ahead of the voting exercise.
“Elections will be held between 7am to 3pm and we expect to have 328 elected directors for the 54 small holder tea factories who will serve for the next three years.
IEBC will be conducting the elections in all the 54 factories in the country and as TBK we shall just oversee to make sure justice and preparedness for free and fair elections prevail for the farmers, ” revealed Mutai.
He called upon the tea farmers to vote wisely for their best leaders.“As TBK we want to wish the farmers to exercise their right and role to elect their best leaders who will be manning the factories.
We are urging them to continue harvesting their tea as they also campaign until when they will elect their directors,” said MutaiA voter shall on the date of election present the following documents to the presiding officer for verification: a national ID or passport, pay slips for green leaf delivery for any two months in the twelve months’ period preceding the date of elections.
Eligible candidates are required to submit Sh10,000 non-refundable fee, ID card, growers slip for 12 months’ period preceding the date of election, valid KRA tax compliant certificate, EACC clearance and a valid certificate of police clearance, academic certificates and professional certificates, self-written application, credit reference bureau certificate CRB among other documents as shown on the manual for elections of directors of small holder tea factories.
The security briefing brought together security officers from the tea growing counties of Kericho, Bomet, Nyamira, Kisii, Narok, Kakamega and Nakuru.
Courtesy of KNA