KTDA Appoints Wilson Muthaura as Group Chief Executive Officer

NAIROBI,Kenya, Oct, 8 –  The Board of the Kenya Tea Development Agency Holdings Limited (KTDA Holdings Limited) Friday  appointed Wilson Muthaura as the Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

Until the appointment, Muthaura had been serving as the acting Group CEO  of the Tea agency. 

“On behalf of the Board and the Management, I would like to congratulate Mr. Muthaura on his appointment and wish him every success in the new role.,” Said KTDA Holdings Limited Chairman, David Ichoho said.

Muthaura embarks on the role at a time the organization is implementing reforms in the tea sub-sector, among them strategies to stabilize tea prices at the auction to enhance farmers’ earnings.

Muthaura replaces long serving Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) boss Samuel Lerionka.

Prior to his early resignation even before his contract expired, Lerionka was on compulsory leave according to the tea agency board.

Lerionka joined KTDA as managing director in 2004 from the Kenya Tea Packers Limited (KETEPA) where he served as the CEO of the tea packing subsidiary company which is majority owned by KTDA.

In March president Uhuru Kenyatta directed the Attorney General to conduct an inquiry into allegations of statutory and regulatory breaches committed by KTDA. The Tea Agency is accused of price fixing and abusing its dominance in turn having a grip on more than 620,000 smallholders which is contrary of the Companies Act.

In an Executive Order,  Kenyatta directed the Attorney General to investigate the firm for what he termed credible allegations leveled against it by stakeholders.

“Attorney-General is directed to conduct an inquiry into the alleged statutory and regulatory compliance breaches allegedly committed by KTDA and or its directors including potential price and auction manipulation, abuse of dominance, insider trading, wastefulness and breach of directors’ fiduciary duties and other alleged malfeasances by or within KTDA,” he said.

Lerionka was arrested alongside other officials by detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) following allegations by stakeholders over mismanagement of funds.