The management of tea factories in Embu has criticised Friday’s suspension of tea picking in Mt Kenya region to enable farmers participate in Jubilee Party primaries
Led by the Director Rukuriri tea factory Joshua Kanake, they said losses running into millions of shillings were incurred that day and were not ready to incur more in the name of elections.
Kanake said Rukuriri factory incurred an estimated loss of Sh50 million since farmers deliver at least 100,000kgs daily wondering whether tea picking will be suspended in Mt Kenya region in the next three days that JP nominations will be redone in various parts of the country.
He said it was selfish of the party to target tea farmers and disrupt their daily routines while other parties did their nominations without such disruptions.
“Now that there will be a repeat of the nominations, does that mean we shall continue making losses? Tea bushes have just sprouted with the onset of the rain and this is the time the routine of our farmers should not be disrupted in the name of politics,” he said.
Kanake who is in the race for Embu senator seat on Maendeleo Chap Chap ticket told parties to plan their affairs in a way that they do not grind the economy to a halt.
He claimed that the decision to suspend tea picking on Friday came from certain politicians from Central Kenya and told them to stop interfering with matters of Embu County in the guise of making common decision.
He observed whereas roads leading to tea factories in Central Kenya are tarmacked those in Embu are not.
“Some of the aspirants who requested the suspension of tea plucking are businesspeople who did not close their businesses. Who will compensate the farmers and the tea industry for the losses?” posed Kanake, a long serving chairman of KTDA Zone Six.
He told farmers not to allow politicians to disrupt their daily routines this campaign period saying politics was seasonal and should not affect their farming operations.
