On the 28th and 29th June, 2024, the Commission conducted elections for directors of 54 smallholder tea factories across 14 counties in Kenya. The election was a result of court order requiring the Tea Board of Kenya (TBK) to oversee the election of directors for these factories. To guarantee credibility of the process, TBK engaged the Commission to conduct the elections.

The Commission signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the TBK as well as each of the 54 Smallholder Tea Factories to undertake these elections. The elections were conducted by secret ballot, to guarantee secrecy of the ballot as well as ensure security of the voters' choices.

The Commission deployed well-trained personnel to oversee the electoral process, ensuring adherence to the highest standards of electoral integrity.

The successful conduct of these elections marks a significant milestone in the governance of smallholder tea factories in Kenya. The choice of IEBC was also a nod in the trust institutions have in the EMB and we hope more organizations can take advantage of the Commission’s experience and stellar record in organizing and managing their elections.

All the 54 small tea factories took part in the election where 334,162 farmers turned out to vote representing 52.19% voter turnout.

"This is the first that tea farmers elections was conducted by a national, proffessional and independent body. This enabled farmers to exercise their democratic right in a transparent system of one farmer, one vote through a secret ballot. The IEBC successfully conducted the elections on the 28th and 29th June, 2024 in all the 54 tea factories," said Linturi while announcing the results on 2nd July, 2024. The former Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development thanked the Commission for conducting the elections in a free fair transparent and credible manner.