Having served as the managing director of KSC for 18 years, Mr Tum became the face of the company until he was removed from office over claims of misappropriation of funds.
All was well for former President Daniel Moi's close associate from 1985 until 2003 when the Narc government came to power and sought to revolutionise the agriculture sector.
Mr Tum died this week while undergoing treatment. He was 73 years.
For decades, the name Nathaniel Tum was synonymous with country's premier seed maker Kenya Seed Company (KSC).
Having served as the managing director of KSC for 18 years, Mr Tum became the face of the company until he was removed from office over claims of misappropriation of funds.
All was well for former President Daniel Moi's close associate from 1985 until 2003 when the Narc government came to power and sought to revolutionise the agriculture sector, which had been plagued with mismanagement and misuse of funds.
Mr Tum died this week while undergoing treatment. He was 73 years.
KSC was founded in 1956 by a small group of farmers in Kitale with the objective of growing and merchandising of several varieties of seeds, including maize, pasture, sunflower, seed wheat, barley, legumes and horticulture.
Through a special resolution made by members in October 1960, KSC was converted into a public company limited by shares. Thereafter other members joined through share purchase.
The most significant of those additional shareholders were Agricultural Development Corporation (ADC) and Kenya Farmers Association (KFA).
As at December 2000, there were 50 shareholders with ADC holding 52.8 per cent.
Following Mr Tum's sacking by Agriculture minister Kipruto Kirwa in 2003, an audit done at the State corporation revealed that more than Sh21 million was paid to a private firm, Soet (K) Ltd, for delivery of seeds to KSC. The firm was linked to Mr Tum.
His removal from office, however, was a bit difficult and it took the intervention of the District Commissioner to have his successor access the seed firm’s office.
And four months after the forcible takeover, a fire gutted the company’s offices in Kitale one Sunday morning and although some people were charged, none of them were convicted for lack of evidence.
A few years later, the inspector of State corporations issued Mr Tum with a certificate of surcharge, asking him to refund the millions of shillings paid to his firm within 30 days.
Claims against him were that he caused loss of the money by authorising payment to Soet (K) Ltd.
He moved to the State Corporation Appeals Tribunal, arguing that the inspector had no powers to surcharge him.
Mr Tum also said the decision to surcharge him after 11 years was malicious.
His appeal was successful when Justice Alfred Mabeya quashed the demand two years ago.
His attempts, however, to get his way back to KSC following his removal came a cropper as the matter was heard all the way to the Court of Appeal.
Mr Tum was also accused of diverting KSC's funds for his own use.
Last year, Mr Tum and several other persons blocked a list of directors made by Peter Munya, the Agriculture Minister, to KSC setting the stage for a protracted war with the government over the management of this agency.
When making the appointments, Mr Munya indicated that the term of the previous directors had lapsed, prompting protests by Mr Tum’s team who opted to fight the decision in court.
Their argument was that Mr Munya’s decision to unilaterally appoint directors of the firm was in contravention of Article 47 of the Constitution as the CS did not make reference to the company’s Memorandum of Association.
Two years ago, Mr Tum was also in another scandal when Kitale School accused him of grabbing 10 acres of school land on which he established among other structures, a petrol station, cafeteria and a supermarket.
The school has occupied the land since 1929 and being the PTA chairman, Mr Tum allegedly volunteered to assist the school secure a title deed. And in breach of the trust, Mr Tum allegedly annexed 10 acres for himself.
The National Land Commission (NLC) visited the land in 2019 followed by another probe by a senate committee.
The school management had complained that they lacked land for expansion of the secondary school, which had been allocated 30 acres.
And after probing the matter, the Senate committee chaired by Nyandarua Senator Mwangi Githiomi asked the Ministry of Lands to issue a new title in favour of Kitale Primary School and the land be returned to its original size of 136 acres, even as Mr Tum protested.
