Low tea bonuses irks Nyamira Senator Okongo O’ Omogeni

Nyamira Senator Okongo Omogeni has described as ‘gravely low and demeaning ‘ tea bonus payments made out to farmers from the region.

He said it still begs questions on why farmers from the larger Gusii region continue to suffer with low bonuses every other year.

This year’s bonus rations oscillated between Sh 20 and Sh 30 for Nyamira farmers while their counterparts from Central earned as high as Sh 60.

Nyankoba factory’s farmers earned a high of Sh35 while most others factories dished dismal earnings.

“This definitely shows that we as leaders have some homework to do . Personally am not going to rest till the crop earnings are improved for you.

“A farmer would only enjoy the fruits of his labour with good pay,” Omogeni told journalists Sunday.

He said most governors were still not keen on matters tea though agriculture was a devolved function.

“Mu Governor Amos Nyaribo is sleeping on job, he has failed to push your agenda as farmers. Such governors are like bad players who should be substituted,” the Nyamira Senator told farmers.

Fund allocations to agriculture functions in most devolved units was still low thus affecting production, he added .

Omogeni who is spoiling for Governorship in 2027 further claimed that some Narigp ( National Agricultural and Rural Inclusive Growth Project) funds were yet to be disbursed to the farmers across the County by the Governor.

NARIGP is a Government project that being implemented through the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock Fisheries and Irrigation (MoALF&I), State Department for Crop Development (SDCD), with funding support from the World Bank.

Omogeni said though the Governor Nyaribo claims on paper to had spent the donor cash on the farmers most farmers were still crying foul.

“I now challenge him to come and explain how the funds were used because the farmers say they have not been issued with the cash yet,” Omogeni stated.
Nyaribo was yet to respond to the claims by press time.