Kibena Tea factory workers hold placards demanding payment of their outstanding wages during a visit by Njombe Special Seats MP, Sigrada Mligo. PHOTO | SEIF JUMANNE
Njombe. More than 250 workers at Kibena Tea Limited have gone on strike, demanding payment of accumulated wages and contributions to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF).
The workers claim that despite deductions for NSSF contributions over the past eight years, the payments have not been remitted to the fund.
Speaking to journalists yesterday outside the factory in Njombe town, the employees said they have been unable to access their rightful retirement benefits.
One worker, Isack Mhema, said the delayed payments have made life extremely difficult.
“We are urging the employer to settle our claims. We have families to support, and life has become very hard,” he said.
Chairperson of the Plantation Workers’ Union, Frida Kidenya, said that last year management of DL Group assured workers that their claims would be settled through tea operations and timber sales, but the payments have yet to materialise.
“The strike began on February 5, 2026. Workers are pressing factory management to explain why their accumulated wages have not been paid. We have waited long enough and cannot go back without our rightful dues,” Kidenya said.
DL Group Human Resources Director, Daniel Kairuki, acknowledged the claims and said the company is seeking ways to resolve the wage backlog. He noted that the ongoing strike has disrupted tea processing at the factory.
“Next week, the company’s executive chairman will meet the NSSF Director-General to reach an agreement,” Kairuki said.
Special Seats MP for Njombe, representing Chama cha Ukombozi wa Umma (CHAUMMA), Sigrada Mligo, visited the factory to mediate between workers and management.
“After hearing both sides, it is clear that negligence occurred in paying workers on time. Management must urgently address these issues,” Mligo said. He urged workers to remain calm while expecting resolution within a week, warning that failure to settle the claims could prompt a road closure protest.
