The sweeping reforms in the tea sector entered the home stretch after the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) appointed Wilson Muthaura as the new group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) weeks after the ouster of the long serving Lerionka Tiampati.
A statement from KTDA Holdings said Muthaura’s appointment takes effect on October 1, 2021 as he assumes the reigns of power in the giant organization.
His appointment completes the overhaul of the KTDA’s top management that had been blamed for among other ills the declining of payments to farmers’ including the current bonus pay out that has dropped compared to other years.
KTDA chairman David Ichoho who has been championing the change underscored the need to accelerate the reforms in the tea sub-sector especially the stabilisation of tea prices and to enhance farmer’s earnings.
Ichoho said they believed that Muthaura had the requisite experience and vision to steward the organization towards the full attainment of the reforms badly needed.
“We believe that he has the requisite leadership vision to steward the organization towards the full attainment of the reforms that we have embarked on,’’ said Ichoho.
Muthaura takes over KTDA at the height of the reforms that has seen many former top managers and directors shown the door in far reaching changes initiated by Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya following years of suffering by farmers.
Munya took the deeply entrenched cartels head on and with support of tea farmers tired of years of exploitations kicked them out and ensured a new management had been put in place – the culmination of Muthaura’s appointment.
Muthaura embarks on his role at a time when KTDA is implementing reforms key among them the stabilization of tea prices at the auction so that farmers’ earnings could improve.
After they were kicked out the previous board headed by Peter Kanyago who had been at the helm for really three decades put a fight in the courts but appears to have ran out of steam as pressure mounted on the leave KTDA.
Tiampati, the former CEO was pushed out last month to pave way for the appointment of Muthaura who had been holding the position but in acting capacity.
Muthaura has held various senior leadership positions across various private and public institutions for more than 24 years.
