KTDA Holdings has appointed James Githinji Mwangi as its new chairman, replacing Enos Njeru following a board election. The announcement was made on November 3, 2026, in a statement from the agency. Samson Mosonik Menjo will retain his position as vice-chairman.
KTDA Holdings, the agency that serves about 680,000 smallholder tea farmers, has named James Githinji Mwangi as its new chairman. He replaces Enos Njeru, who had led the board since March 2026. Samson Mosonik Menjo remains vice-chairman.
Mwangi is chairman of Ngere Tea Factory in Murang’a County and has served as a KTDA board member for Zone Two. He previously served as a director of the agency. His appointment comes after a period of frequent changes at the top of the board.
Enos Njeru was first elected chairman in July 2023, after ousting David Ichoho, and was re-elected in August 2024. In January 2025, Chege Kirundi replaced him in a boardroom coup. The High Court later reinstated Kirundi, and the board elected Njeru again in March 2026 after Kirundi’s term ended.
The leadership churn has come as the agency faces pressure on several fronts. Its priorities include improving factory efficiency, strengthening tea marketing and increasing returns to smallholder farmers. Those are the same issues that boards have struggled to address while governance disputes absorbed their time.
Governance disputes have drawn outside attention before. Farmers and MPs have questioned the role of the Ministry of Agriculture in past board elections, and in August 2024 a boycott followed an election in Mombasa that opponents said was tainted. Stability at the top will matter for farmers who depend on KTDA to process and market their green leaf.
Mwangi takes over as the agency works to raise the quality of tea it produces and to reduce unsold stock in warehouses. The new chairman’s first decisions on factory management, marketing and farmer payments will show how far the board’s priorities have changed.
The next signals will be the agency’s annual bonus declaration and any early changes in how factories and auctions are run. Farmers and factory boards will be watching for those decisions.
