Farmers of Riomoti Tea Buying Centre in Nyamira county are counting losses worth thousands of shillings after the factory they deliver their crop to withdrew its services of buying and collecting their leaves.
The farmers said that the 13,000 kgs of tea they had picked for the last four days has gone to waste after the management of Kebirigo Tea Factory where they deliver their crop withdrew their services of buying and collecting the leaves. When Weekly Citizen visited the site recently, it found that the tea which was picked four days had dried up and some was still rotting at the centre, a situation which has caused tension between the farmers and the factory management.
In a letter dated January 2 2015 written by factory unit manager Pauline Oyugi, the factory went ahead to slap a one month ban on the farmers over what it termed as “indiscipline” before restoring back its services. Speaking at the buying centre, the farmers who were led by their chairman Dickson Nyamumbo said that the farmers had not done any mistake to warrant the factory to stop buying and collecting their tea.
Nyamumbo said that the only crime they had committed was to demand for more vehicles to to collect tea from the buying centre.
The angry farmers gave the factory two weeks to withdraw the ban and resume the services failure to which they would take legal measures against it.
Oyugi and the area director Samuel Nyamoita said that the factory had taken disciplinary measures against the centre because it had flouted the factory by-laws.
Oyugi said that farmers had themselves to blame because when a vehicle was dispatched to the centre to collect the leaves, they turned it away demanding that they wanted two vehicles to be sent a demand she termed as impossible.
She said that the farmers went ahead to confiscate the sacks and the weighing machine, a matter she termed as indiscipline.
She however said that the management was ready to rescind the decision as they were also interested in doing business by resuming their services.
The farmers said that the 13,000 kgs of tea they had picked for the last four days has gone to waste after the management of Kebirigo Tea Factory where they deliver their crop withdrew their services of buying and collecting the leaves. When Weekly Citizen visited the site recently, it found that the tea which was picked four days had dried up and some was still rotting at the centre, a situation which has caused tension between the farmers and the factory management.
In a letter dated January 2 2015 written by factory unit manager Pauline Oyugi, the factory went ahead to slap a one month ban on the farmers over what it termed as “indiscipline” before restoring back its services. Speaking at the buying centre, the farmers who were led by their chairman Dickson Nyamumbo said that the farmers had not done any mistake to warrant the factory to stop buying and collecting their tea.
Nyamumbo said that the only crime they had committed was to demand for more vehicles to to collect tea from the buying centre.
The angry farmers gave the factory two weeks to withdraw the ban and resume the services failure to which they would take legal measures against it.
Oyugi and the area director Samuel Nyamoita said that the factory had taken disciplinary measures against the centre because it had flouted the factory by-laws.
Oyugi said that farmers had themselves to blame because when a vehicle was dispatched to the centre to collect the leaves, they turned it away demanding that they wanted two vehicles to be sent a demand she termed as impossible.
She said that the farmers went ahead to confiscate the sacks and the weighing machine, a matter she termed as indiscipline.
She however said that the management was ready to rescind the decision as they were also interested in doing business by resuming their services.
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