KTDA poll shows gender gap in leadership

In recent factory elections, women in the tea industry won only 19 of 324 directorships, meaning they still have a long way to go in achieving leadership positions.

Kenya Tea Development Authority (KTDA) factory management elections Held in late June Despite being key players in the smallholder tea sector, women appear to be disadvantaged following a directive from the Tea Board of Kenya (TBK).

Strangely, the unexpected change of the election date from June 28 to June 29 struck many women who were running for office or even voting as unfair because the election fell on a Saturday, a day most women would spend attending church, riding the carousel, attending family gatherings or doing housework.

In the western region, Seventh Day Adventists (SDA) followers were unable to turn out for the polls as Saturday was a day for worship and religious activities and they blamed the Tea Board for the change in the election date.

Detailed data from TBK shows that out of 324 factory managers in 12 tea factories, only 19 were women.

This results in under-representation of women at decision-making levels, despite women providing 60% of the labour in tea production and 40% of ownership in tea gardens.

For example, west of the Rift Valley, only three women – Chepkurui Korir, Judith Chepkurui and Odour Elizabeth – were elected as directors of the Tegat, Kapkatet and Kapsara tea factories respectively.

However, few women ran for the director post in the elections conducted by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) after an out-of-court settlement brokered by the regulator ended three years of chaos.

In many factories, no women were allowed to run for election by the electoral body.

At Kiru Tea Factory, none of the 21 director candidates approved by the IEBC is a woman.

At the Kanyenya-ini plant, former board member Mary Gitaka was voted out by 51 votes to 201 and replaced by Peter Gachuri.

Although admitting defeat, Geetakar said she would ensure that the interests of farmers were protected.

“It’s been a good fight, but the change in election dates disrupted my ability to mobilize,” she said.

At the Makomboji Tea Factory, Faith Musoni was re-elected and she attributed her success to her close interaction with the farmers in the village.

“During my first term, through the support of my friends, I ensured the functioning of the Kandlundu dispensary initiated by tea farmers by raising funds,” Muthoni said.

At Nduti Tea Factory, Nancy Ndung’u, wife of former finance minister Professor Njuguna Ndung’u, was re-elected unopposed.

She was elected chairperson of the factory board, deputised by the young Joseph Mahugu, who was also re-elected.

Ndung’u said teamwork helped the entire board return to leadership.

“I was elected unopposed because the farmers of Gitembuka constituency had faith in my leadership,” the factory chairman said.

James Githinji, KTDA Region II board member, said the election of women to tea leadership positions in the Rift Valley region shows that they are appreciated by tea growers.

“It is expected that a small number of those elected in 2020 will be able to return to leadership positions,” he said.

In the eastern Rift Valley, TBK director Charles Kirigwi said 15 women were elected in 10 of the 35 factories.

“We encourage more women to compete for leadership positions.”

Elizabeth Waithanji’s appointment as chairperson of the Gitugi plant board, coupled with Ndungu’s victory at the Nduti plant, leaves the Mount Kenya region with only two women in top positions.

In Muranga County, there are 6 female directors.

Ken Kaburi, TBK’s Western Rift Valley regional director, said gender imbalance in tea industry leadership is a national issue that affects all regions.

“This is fundamentally down to the land, which is mainly owned by men, and the tea plantations are also owned by men,” he said.

“The trend is changing dramatically and in the future women will be registered in factories so they will be eligible for leadership positions.”

Former director Ecabeth Nyakieni said preparations for elections in Gushiland failed as the elections were postponed without procedures and moved from Friday to Saturday, preventing hundreds of farmers from exercising their rights.

Nyakini, who was a three-term councillor for Gyanjore Tea Factory, said the election was orchestrated as most farmers did not go to vote but went to the church to vote.

“Despite spending months preparing, the Tea Board of India botched the tea elections due to poor planning,” she said, adding that most farmers had gone to their places of worship on Saturday.

Monica Orwochi, a director of Nyansiongo Tea Factory, who was re-elected on the basis of best price, said close relationship with tea farmers helped produce quality tea.

“I am the only female KTDA director in Nyamira County and I am proud to work with farmers,” she said.

“Last semester, we successfully led farmers to participate in a benchmarking program at the Gacharage factory in Murang’a to improve the quality of their products.”

In the South Rift Valley, men have predominantly held leadership positions at KTDA plants for decades.

However, women like Lorna Koech, director of Litein-Chelal Tea Factory, are making significant strides and breaking the glass ceiling.

Koch successfully won a second term as factory director in the Bretty constituency.

She defeated six rivals, receiving 954 votes, with the closest challenger receiving 344 votes.

Kochi, who owns ten acres of tea estate, attributed her landslide victory to a significant increase in tea prize money during her first term.

She told The Standard that under her leadership, bonuses had increased from 9 shillings to 31 shillings in the past year.

“When I first took office, tea farmers could earn 18 shillings a month after sending their tea to the factory. Now the figure has risen to 23 shillings.”

She stressed that as long as improvements in tea-growing methods can benefit tea farmers and increase their income, the gender of the factory manager is irrelevant.

“My past experience convinced the farmers that I was qualified to be a factory manager again,” Koch said.

Looking to the future, she is determined to ensure the factory’s investment in orthodox tea processing takes off.

“Orthodox teas are more expensive and the market is still large. We hope to take advantage of this opportunity and avoid the market problems that black tea occasionally encounters,” she explained.

She added that the factory is committed to providing better services to farmers, such as supplying fertilizers, training in modern farming methods, introducing new high-yield tea varieties, finding new markets, and strengthening agricultural extension services.

“My goal is to ensure that tea produced in the factory fetches a higher price in the market and provide comprehensive support to farmers to increase their productivity and income,” she said.