{At least 11 tea factories in Nandi County have been shut as the week-long strike over the implementation of salary increments continues to bite.}
Farmers have said they are losing approximately Sh300 million weekly.
Some of the factories whose operations have stalled include those managed by Eastern Produce Company, namely Kapsumbeiywo, Kipkoimet, Kipchamo, Savani, Kibware, Chemomi, Sitoi and Kibabet.
Machines have also gone quiet at Kapchorwa, Kaimosi and Tinderet, which are run by Williamson Tea.
Yesterday, the more than 10,000 tea producers demanded the arrest of the top leaders of the Kenya Plantation and Agricultural Workers Union whom they claimed were out to bring down the tea industry in Kenya.
The workers have demanded the effecting of a 30 per cent salary increase as awarded a week ago by the Industrial Court.
On the other hand, farmers and owners of tea plantations are reluctant to implement the court order saying it will run them out of business.
At least 50,000 tea pickers face job losses over the impasse.
Farmers who supply tea to the Siret Tea Company, claim they are losing Sh60 million per day due to the tea which goes to waste.
The chairman of the Siret Tea Outgrowers Company Wilson Tuwei now says the farmers would be forced to hire new workers from today to pluck tea as those under the union had declined to resume duty.
“Over 10,000 small scale tea growers from Siret have been pushed to the wall due to the unrest in the tea industry and have suffered huge losses. Unless the situation improves, we will have to hire new tea pickers,” Mr Tuwei said.
AGAINST TEA PLUCKING MACHINES
The workers are also against the introduction of tea-plucking machines in a bid to reduce costs. The small scale farmers say the machines will lower their costs by 75 per cent.
They argue that out of the Sh22 per kilogramme of tea sold, Sh15 goes to the worker and Sh3 covers transport.
“When you factor in fertiliser and pesticides, this leaves the farmer with absolutely nothing,” Mr David Sum, a farmer who has a two-acre tea farm in Nandi Hills, told the Nation last week.
The current strike has seen mature tea go to waste with anti-riot police officers engaging the workers in running battles most of last week.
On Friday, police were forced to lob teargas at the protesting workers to disperse them after they hit streets of Nandi Hills Town in numbers.
Attempts by some of them to storm tea factories were thwarted by the officers.
The farmers also protested against the cancellation of a farmers’ meeting in Nandi Hills on Saturday that was called to seek solutions.
Nandi East Security Committee called off the meeting after intelligence reports indicated it could degenerate to violence.
However, three factories – Siret Tea, DL-Koisagat and Nandi Tea – remain open.
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