Man wants zonal director election for Kapkoros tea factory halted

 

A candidate has sued to stop the election of a zonal director at the Kenya Tea Development Agency-managed Kapkoros Tea Factory.

Kipngeno Rono was locked out of the race for Ndarawetta zone director because he is allegedly not of good standing in society.

Rono wants KTDA ordered to halt nominations of directors for the zone.

Through his lawyer Desmond Leteipa, Rono also wants the resolution of the verification and dispute resolution committee be set aside.

Bomet High Court Judge Roselyne Korir certified the matter urgent and scheduled and inter-parties hearing for October 27.

 She ordered that the three respondents Kapkoros Tea Factory, KTDA management services and the dispute resolution committee chair be served.

In the court documents, Leteipa says Rono met all the requirements in the election manual and should be allowed to participate. 

"The said rejection was unlawful and had no basis since the process was biased and he was never afforded an opportunity to present his case,” Leteipa argued. 

The election has been set for November 3.

In his affidavit, Rono said his candidacy was rejected on September 30 on grounds that he is not of good standing in society.

 He argued that the decision to reject his candidacy was arbitrary and unfair. He has a valid police certificate of good conduct to prove his standing, he said.

Leteipa said the decision to lock out his client was out of malice and bias.

He said KTDA is owned by the farmers but used skewed means to ensure a candidate of their choice wins the election unopposed.

“We are aggrieved by the decision by the agency and factory to lock out our client so that one sitting director wins the seat… this is a disservice to the farmers since everyone has a right to choose or participate in the election freely,” he said.

Following rejection of his application, incumbent Eric Langat remained the sole contender for the post. Another candidate, Mathew Kirui, withdrew from the race.

Currently, the election of the directors in the KTDA-managed factories is weighted on the amount of tea a farmer produces.

Some lobby groups have suggested a one-grower-one-vote system to achieve fairness.