London-based fair standards lobby, the Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP), which seeks to address the plight of workers globally, has tapped the daughter of former powerful Kibaki era minister John Michuki to spearhead its regional strategy.
The lobby said Ms Wanja Michuki, a Columbia University-trained financial analyst and wealth coach, will be based in Nairobi to lead teams in Kenya, Malawi and Rwanda in spearheading reforms targeted at improving livelihoods for smallholder farmers and workers.
Formed in 1997, the ETP brings together 44 of the world’s most influential international tea companies and retailers to "drive improvements in sustainability across the tea sector by focusing on improving the lives and livelihoods of workers and farmers, and the environment in which tea is produced."
London-based fair standards lobby, the Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP), which seeks to address the plight of workers globally, has tapped the daughter of former powerful Kibaki era minister John Michuki to spearhead its regional strategy.
The lobby said Ms Wanja Michuki, a Columbia University-trained financial analyst and wealth coach, will be based in Nairobi to lead teams in Kenya, Malawi and Rwanda in spearheading reforms targeted at improving livelihoods for smallholder farmers and workers.
Formed in 1997, the ETP brings together 44 of the world’s most influential international tea companies and retailers to "drive improvements in sustainability across the tea sector by focusing on improving the lives and livelihoods of workers and farmers, and the environment in which tea is produced."
"In a brand new role for ETP, as Strategy Lead she is responsible for developing high-level, strategic relationships with businesses, governments and development partners in Africa to enable us to go further, faster in tea-growing regions," said the lobby in a statement.
"Based in Nairobi, Kenya, Wanja will also travel to Malawi and Rwanda to support these regions."
Ms Wanja welcomed her appointment, saying in her new role she will focus energies on improving the livelihoods of tea workers.
"Most immediately, I am working with the UK and Kenyan teams and ETP’s corporate members and primary partners, such as Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA), and donors, to meet some of the needs of smallholder farmers and workers as they adjust to the lifestyle and behavioral changes demanded by Covid-19," she said.
"In the medium and long term, we will be supporting programmes and reforms in Kenya, Malawi, and Rwanda to create thriving, socially just, and environmentally sustainable tea sectors in these countries. Each country’s tea sector has its own unique set of characteristics."
Kenya is the biggest exporter of black tea in the world, and tea is a top source of foreign exchange.
Most of it is produced by smallholders, who are the most vulnerable players with low incomes. Tea production is also threatened by the climate change which according to experts is likely to have a high impact on small-scale farmers.
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