Kenyan High Court suspends swearing-in of controversial Toror Tea Factory Director  

KENYA – The Kericho High Court has suspended the swearing-in of John Chebochok as the director of Toror Tea Factory pending a ruling on a petition challenging his appointment. 

Justice Joseph Sergon issued the orders following a petition filed by five non-governmental organizations against Chebochok, who was implicated in a sex-for-work scandal reported by the BBC.  

Justice Sergon also suspended the factory’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled for July 18, 2024.  

“In the meantime, the AGM scheduled for July 18, 2024, to swear in Mr. John Chebochok into office as a director is suspended,” ordered the court.  

The judge clarified that while the AGM is not entirely suspended, it is barred from approving Chebochok’s appointment. He ordered the parties involved to file their written submissions within six days and announced that he would deliver a ruling on August 15. 

The petition was filed by Usikimye CBO, Wangu Kanja Foundation Registered Trustees, Oxfam, The African Gender and Media Initiative Trust Registered Trustees, and Flone Initiative.  

These organizations argue that the stakeholders and purchasers of tea from the applicant’s company have protested Chebochok’s election and have suspended their business with the Applicant, leading to a significant financial downturn.  

“The 1st respondent does not meet the provisions of Chapter 6 of the Constitution of Kenya, which emphasizes the responsibilities and ethics required of public officers, including integrity, leadership accountability, and adherence to ethical standards,” they argued.  

The organizations highlighted that there is an ongoing investigation at Kericho Police Station and a case at the HIV Tribunal against Chebochok.  

They stated that the petition concerns the plight of many Kenyan women who were sexually exploited and molested by Chebochok and that the court should declare him unfit to hold public office. 

The Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) Group Company Secretary supported the notice of motion, arguing that Chebochok’s election is affecting not only the sales of the factory he was elected to but also the KTDA brand and all its smallholder factories.  

They claim that this situation threatens the economic livelihoods of more than a million farmers who supply tea to KTDA factories. 

This petition arises as Kenya seeks to increase the visibility of tea from the region in the global market.  

Recently, President Ruto launched Chai Gold, the flagship tea brand of KTDA, for the international market.  

Additionally, President Ruto directed the tea agency to allocate another KES1 billion (US$7.7M) to construct value addition facilities in Kericho and Nairobi to serve the Western Rift and Eastern Rift tea-growing regions, respectively. 

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