Zone five Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) directors have called on Kirinyaga politicians to stop interfering with the running of the area tea industry.

Led by the zone’s board chairman John Mithamo, the directors called on politicians to let the leadership of the Tea industry do its job in a bid to increase tea earnings for farmers.

They said politicians had groomed and fronted their preferred candidates during the recently held KTDA directorship elections conducted by the country’s electoral body – the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

Mithamo said the tea sector has seen a tremendous improvement saying monthly tea payment has increased from KSh20 to KSh25 since the starting of the tea reforms and said they are optimistic that the same will be increased to KSh30 during this tenure.

The annual payment, he said has, also improved from KSh25 to over KSh40 currently and expressed optimism that the same will increase further.

Mwai Karani, the chairman of Mununga Tea Factory, said the two factories out of the five in zone five that were not producing orthodox tea will start doing the tea during their three-year tenure.

Richard Magu, the chairman of Thumaita Tea Factory, advised growers to avoid rushing to court as their first option whenever there is a dispute saying court fees from the cases has been eating into farmers’ earnings.

He called on other board members from other six zones to support Mithamo during the national KTDA Holding chairmanship elections set to be held soon. Mithamo had said that he will be vying for the national seat.

The directors spoke after the election of KTDA board members held at the KTDA regional office at Thumaita Tea factory in which Mithamo won the elections after garnering 26 votes beating Anthony Maingi who got one vote.

The total number of registered votes at Kangaita regional office which was also the firm’s polling station were 27.