EELA Kenya convened its first Technical Working Group (TWG) meeting in Kericho to align on roles, responsibilities, and the Terms of Reference. The TWG will guide and provide technical support for the setup. Co-chaired by the Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) and the Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI), the session focused on supplier vetting criteria, KPIs for the tea sector, and shaping the development of the Industry Clean Tech Platform (ICTP).

In his opening remarks, Prof. Erastus Gatebe, Industrialization Secretary and PSC co-chair, stressed the importance of clear roles, seamless coordination, and effective implementation of the program’s five-year plan. He highlighted the need for strong collaboration between the TWG, project focal points, and ministries to ensure synergy, progress tracking, and measurable impact, particularly in energy efficiency and the tea sector.

The group reviewed proposed supplier evaluation criteria for the ICTP, emphasizing the involvement of tea industry experts for practical relevance. Glofin Advisory suggested KPIs for the tea sector, including energy and electricity use, firewood moisture content, carbon emissions, renewable energy adoption, operational efficiency, and process improvements. Key points included aligning with existing data collection (e.g., energy awards), standardizing measurements across factories, differentiating KPIs for CTC and Orthodox processing, and defining mandatory versus optional indicators.

UNIDO presented an overview of the ICTP platform design, outlining its value proposition, targets, and development methodology. The information architecture of the ICTP was discussed, with content blocks including technology and service provider catalogues and a knowledge hub. Both the content management system and the content structure are designed to enable scalability and modular expansion.

The meeting concluded with appreciation for all participants, including online contributors. The chairs expressed optimism about the project’s potential and looked forward to its implementation in upcoming sessions.