The operationalization of the Tea Research Foundation is being hampered by the cases in court by people opposed to the Tea Act of 2020. The new Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO) Board Chairman Peter Weru Kinyua told the Tea Reforms Conference being held in Kericho coordinated by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
The Act establishes the Tea Research Foundation. The functions of the Foundation are to promote, co-ordinate and regulate research in tea and tea diseases; and to expedite equitable access to research information, resources and technology and promote the application of research findings and technology in the development of tea.
“Among the things I wanted to highlight is the importance of the engagement of the people who have taken this Bill to court because the operationalization of the Tea Research Foundation is basically based on that and they chose very strategically the sections that were going to make this act fall flat on its feet and it could not take off,” said Kinyua
On the funding of the Research Foundation, he said it was important to have it established first and then deal with the issue of funding later. He added that the issue of funding also touches on the entire KALRO saying for the last 10 years the organization just receives funds for salaries which also depends on the donor funds.
“It will be very key that this Tea Research Foundation is established and we have got all the necessary documentation that could make it work and then funding follows so that we give value to farmers of this country,” opined Kinyua.
