by Vitalis Kimutai

Tea growers in Bomet have for the fourth day running boycotted to supply their produce to two Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) factories.

The boycott that started on Monday is to protest at the reduced bonus payments.

At the same time, the farmers have demanded 100 per cent price increase for green leaf delivered to the factories.

Mr Isaiah Kiget, the unit manager in charge of the two factories, told the Press the boycott had affected operations.

"We are processing 50,000kg of green leaf a day as opposed to the 100,000kg processed on a normal day," Kiget told The Standard.

The boycott affected Kapkoros and Tirgaga tea factories, which were by on Thursday operating below capacity.

The move by the farmers follows a resolution passed two weeks ago during a stormy meeting with KTDA officials and directors of tea factories.

Home Affairs Assistant Minister Beatrice Kones, councillors and 600 committee members from 125 tea buying centres backed the demands. "KTDA has to wake up from its deep slumber and pay farmers their rightful share after years of exploitation, which has gone unchallenged," said Mrs Kones, who is also the Bomet MP.

However, Kiget said it was normal for the factories to register low green leaf delivery during the first week of every month and was optimistic the trend would change.

He claimed only 10 of 125 tea-buying centres in the region had been affected. "It is unfortunate the growers are not willing to listen to our explanation following a material error which resulted in reduction of the money due to them," said Kiget.

Mr Paul Rere, a spokesman for the growers, told The Standard in Bomet town they would only resume delivery if KTDA met their demands.

"We are demanding that KTDA pays us Sh25.15 as bonus per kilogramme of green leaf as yearly bonus, which they had earlier announced," said Rere. He said farmers would reject Sh22.75, which KTDA intended to pay for their tea because there was no clear explanation as to how the initial figure was reduced by Sh2.15.

Two weeks ago, Rere read a resolution by 20,000 tea farmers at a stormy meeting where they threatened to boycott tea picking until their demands were met.