Bizarres of tea bonuses in Kirinyaga County

Haiya! Out in my home County of Kirinyaga, some 130Km north of Nairobi is a small town called Kagumo. Sorry to say that it hits headlines severally for the wrong reasons, ranging from Mungiki sagas to the current rumored arrival of prostitutes from different parts of Kenya. These prostitutes are purported to be on a mission to prey on men, now that tea bonus issuance by KTDA kicks off this week. Rumor has it that, the ladies of the night have always inhabited these among other areas in the county such as Kangaita and Kiangai Shopping centers every time tea bonuses are out. They’re said to hail from Nairobi, Mombasa and even as far as Dar-es-Salam. They prefer Kagumo town over other surrounding centers in the western tea growing part of the county, because, it falls on a more central and strategic position and has a number of accommodation outlets and pubs.The local provincial administration, clergy and women groups have spoken out against it and have suggested that the police should carry out a crackdown on the ladies of the night with help of the locals who can identify them. Its worth noting that, much of the chores involved in tending and picking tea in farms at the county is done by women and children. Men come in handy when the bonus is out, some even borrowing advance bonus loans from local tea saccos which they repay with the main bonus without the consent of their spouses. These men have been accused of using the money to themselves in booze sprees, others running away from their homes only to surface later when the money gets exhausted. Major beneficiaries during the bonus issuance period in the town include the ladies of the night, pub owners, local breweries such as ‘Kibuga’ and ‘Munyiri’ as well as a number of shops and the local marikiti.However, not all men misuse their share, a number invest it in their children’s education, buying more shares from the saccos as well as expanding their businesses.Similar cases have also been reported in the neighboring county of Nyeri.