County's landmark Sh87b tea suit kicks off

Kericho High Court began hearing the landmark Sh87 billion suit filed by Governor Paul Chepkwony against Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) and other players in the tea industry.

The Council of Governors through its advocate senior counsel Prof Tom Ojienda asked to be enjoined in the constitutional petition filed at the court late last year by Chepkwony's advocate Peter Wanyama.

Prof Ojienda told the packed court that he would also be representing 10,000 small-scale tea farmers in the petition. Kericho resident judge Hedwig Ong'udi ordered Chepkwony to serve the respondents and interested parties with the petition and documents within 14 days.

Advocate Alice Bett who represents a section of the KTDA managed factories had told the court that they had not been served with the suit papers. The court also ordered the Agriculture Food and Fisheries Authority, the 28th respondent in the case to serve the petitioners with the Tea Industry Status report of May 2014 within seven days.

"Further, any intended applications should be filed and served within seven days and the responses filed thereto...," said Justice Ong'udi.

The mention of the status of the court orders compliance was set for March 23.