Former Transport Minister, the late John Michuki's daughter, Wanja Michuki, has been appointed to oversee an international organisation's operations in three countries.
According to a statement by Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP), a London-based tea lobby group, Wanja was appointed to spearhead its regional strategy.
The institution noted that Wanja would be based in Nairobi but would oversee operations in Kenya, Malawi and Rwanda.
She will be tasked with spearheading reforms that are aimed at enhancing the lives of small-scale tea farmers and workers in the tea sector.
"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.
"Based in Nairobi, Kenya, Wanja also travels to Malawi and Rwanda to support these regions. Her role is key to driving forward the longer-term sustainability of tea across Africa," reads the statement in part.
The organisation also pointed out that it tapped into her largely because of her achievements and past accomplishments.
"Wanja 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.
"She has hands-on experience in the tea sector, having founded her own specialty tea business. Wanja also worked closely with farmers during her time as a Trade and Investment Diplomat in the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, and was part of the tea farming community in Central Kenya," the statement adds,
She accepted the role promising to focus her 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.
"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," she told the Business Daily.
Wanja has served as the Managing Director of Be Bold Consulting and Advisory Limited, an independent financial consulting and executive coaching firm based in Nairobi.
According to the organization's website, you would need to part with Ksh25,000 to have a one on one mentorship with her for 1hour and 30 minutes.
She began her career in finance, working for Barclays Bank as a corporate analyst and research manager between 1997 and 2001 before she joined Merrill Lynch as a summer associate for less than a year.
Wanja then founded her first company, Highland Tea Company LLC, based in New York, US, which she ran between 2003 and 2008 before it wound up.
