Five Tea Clerks Arrested in Bureti Over Alleged Scale Tampering
By ROBERT SIELE |KERICHO
Five tea clerks in Bureti Sub-County, Kericho County, have been arrested over alleged manipulation of weighing scales used to weigh farmers’ green leaf tea.
The arrests were carried out by officers from the Weights and Measures Department and the Tea Board of Kenya (TBK), with assistance from police in Bureti.
The clerks, who were picked from different tea collection points, are accused of tampering with weighing scales in a scheme allegedly aimed at denying farmers the correct weight of their tea and, consequently, their rightful income.
Officials Joseph Jaramba (Weights and Measures Department ) and Samuel Njane(Tea Board of Kenya-TBK) said the operation followed a tip-off on suspected malpractice at the tea collection points.
“We acted on a tip-off and arrested the five from different points in Bureti. We won’t relent until the malpractice is eliminated,” the officials said.
They have urged directors of tea companies and heads of tea collection centres, commonly known as “Bandas,” to remain vigilant and ensure weighing equipment is regularly checked.
“We urge farmers to be vigilant and clerks to countercheck their weighing scales to avoid farmers being denied their correct tea weights,” they said.
The authorities have also encouraged farmers to pay close attention during the weighing of their tea and report any suspected irregularities.
The arrests highlight concerns over the accuracy of weighing equipment at tea collection points, where even small discrepancies in recorded weights could affect farmers’ earnings.
Investigations into the alleged tampering are ongoing, with authorities warning that action will be taken against individuals found culpable.
Farmers have been urged to cooperate with enforcement officers by reporting suspected cases of scale manipulation at tea collection centres.
The authorities say the crackdown will continue as they seek to safeguard farmers’ earnings and eliminate malpractice in tea weighing.
