The Tea Board of Kenya (TBK) has stipulated that all vehicles hauling green leaves must have trackers installed as one of the proposed methods. The police and the regulatory agency will both be able to access these trackers.
Charles Kirigwi, the director of TBK for the Mount Kenya region, stated that this initiative aims to streamline the tea industry and combat the activities of rogue merchants involved in the hawking of green leaf.
Green leaf hawking, he claimed, ought to end as it forces tea factories to run at less than capacity.
The TBK director further noted the regulator is pursuing three firms believed to be behind the hawking of green leaf saying every factory before being licensed should indicate many affiliated farmers and the amount of green leaf they will supply.
Kirigwi added “Tea hawking is a nationwide menace with roots in the West and East of Rift. Many factories have reported reduced production for processing.”
He further explained, “The installation of car trackers in the tea sector will help apprehend crews invading the tea catchment areas of other players. We have players from Kiambu and Meru who have disrupted the tea sector.”
The board also mandates tea factories to submit a list of farmers to the regulator and conduct regular inspections of weighing scales at tea buying centres. This effort aims to prevent corrupt clerks from stealing from the growers.
