DEDAN KIMATHI UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

P.O.BOX 657-10100,
NYERI

INDUSTRIAL ATTACHMENT REPORT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL

FULLFILMENT FOR THE AWARD OF DEGREE IN INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY

NAME : ONESMUS KIMUTAI

INSTITUTION : DEDAN KIMATHI UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

COURSE : INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

ADMISSION NO : C025-01-0626/2020

COMPANY NAME : TEGAT TEA FACTORY

DURATION : 2 MONTHS

DEPARTMENT : ICT

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SUPERVISOR :

PRESENTED TO : DEDAN KIMATHI UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

DECLARATION
I declare that this work is of my own efforts. I declare that it has never been submitted by
anybody for the award of any degree, certificate or diploma in any institution. Also I declare it
contains the truth on all the activities I performed during my attachment period.

X
onesmus kimutai

NAME: ONESMUS KIMUTAI sign:

DATE: 02/11/2024

ADM NO: C025-01-0626/2020

SUPERVISOR

Name: ___________________________________sign_______________date:______________

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
INDUSTRIAL ATTACHMENT REPORT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULLFILMENT FOR THE
AWARD OF DEGREE IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY...............................................................i
DECLARATION.....................................................................................................................................ii
Table of Contents........................................................................................................................................iii
ACKNOWLEDGMENT.........................................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................................2
Objectives of Industrial Training.............................................................................................................2
1.1. History of the organization...............................................................................................................3
1.2. Main Functions/ Activities of the organization.................................................................................4
ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE....................................................................................................................5
CHAPTER 1...............................................................................................................................................6
INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................6
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.............................................................................................................................6
ABSTRACT................................................................................................................................................6
BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON AREA OF ATTACHMENT....................................................6
HOST DEPARTMENT: ICT DEPARTMENT.....................................................................................10
2. 1. ICT department..............................................................................................................................10
2.2. Key Functions of the department....................................................................................................10
2.3. Skills gained from the department..................................................................................................12
Networking............................................................................................................................................12
Router configuration..............................................................................................................................12
CHAPTER 3..........................................................................................................................................14
ANALYSIS AND OBSERVATIONS...................................................................................................14

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 3.1. Success...........................................................................................................................................14
3.2. Challenges Encountered During the Attachment............................................................................15
COLLABORATIVE ACTIVITIES AT FACTORY..............................................................................16
CHAPTER 4..........................................................................................................................................17
REPORT ON ACTIVITIES..................................................................................................................17
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................17
Formatting and installing software........................................................................................................18
4.1 Personal and professional competencies..........................................................................................19
RECOMMENDATION & CONCLUSION..........................................................................................19
4.1. Recommendation on how to improve the attachment.....................................................................19
4.2. Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................20
PROBLEMS FACED DURING ATTACHMENT PERIOD.................................................................21
RECOMMENDATION.........................................................................................................................21
CONCLUSION.........................................................................................................................................22

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ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I first acknowledge the Almighty God for enabling me all through the attachment period. I also
acknowledge Tegat factory unit manager for allocating me a slot to the company. I also
acknowledge the supervisor, IT department, field service coordinator and agro processing
director for continued support during the attachment. I lastly appreciate my parents for financial
support and all the working staff at Tegat Tea Factory for the support accorded to me in various
departments.

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INTRODUCTION
Industrial attachment involves physical practice of the theoretical aspects taught in the course of
study. I was able to practice IT skills in network administration, System administration, hardware
management, and devices installation and the importance of teamwork. This was greatly
supported by the teamwork from the staff and management

Objectives of Industrial Training.

• To make transition from school to world of work easier and enhance students contacts for
job placements.
• To provide the students with an opportunity to apply knowledge acquired class in real

work situation.

• To expose the students to work methods not taught in the University and colleges and to

provide access to products and equipment not normally available in the learning

environment.

• To expose responsibilities and ethics.

• To be prepared for industrial work stations that student is likely to meet after graduation.

• To appreciate the importance of good communications and interpersonal skills.

1.1. History of the organization

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“Tegat in the local language means a “it is well build” but this has been turned into a very
productive area and a source of income to over fifteen thousand farmers and other stake holders.
It has grown bigger until it has produced a sister by the name Toror Tea Factory. Tegat Tea
Factory construction commenced in 1971, with commissioning being done in March, 1978 by
KTDA which helps in large scale commercial tea production in KERICHO County. The buy
product being tea leaves .The establishment of the company has been of great impact to the
community as it has created employment opportunities, supplying raw materials for tea related
industries and promote development in KERICHO county and beyond.

1.2. Main Functions/ Activities of the organization

• To define the role of the individual: An individual employed in an enterprise must
know their role, position, and relationship with other personnel in his department

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 and with others. It is through the organization that one can know his position and
role in the unit. He can relate his position with other members of the enterprise.

• Determination of Authority: The assignment of ascertaining role proposes the

grating of certain authority so that performance can be possible. The organization
is necessary to define the authority

• Fixation of responsibility: Each individual is assigned ascertain duty

organizational structure defines what performance is expected of a member of the
unit of the department of the enterprise. Absence or faulty determination of
responsibility will lead to irresponsible functions, behavior, and attitude.

• Specialization: Modern production and management technique are based on the

idea of specialization which means the performance of different parts of a job by
persons specifically suited for them. The organization is required to promote
specialization.

• Proper utilization of human resources: there must not be wastage or

misapplication of human effort this is of great importance for the economy as well
as for the achievement of objectives. It can be possible only by a suitable
organization, which avoids all bottlenecks-chances of work being held up and
allow smooth flow of performances.

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ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE

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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
The field attachment started on 3rd SEPTEMBER 2024 and ended on 3rd NOVEMBER 2024. The
attachment was carried out at TEGAT TEA FACTORY IN KERICHO COUNTY and took 8
weeks. Many activities and sections were attended and practical done.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The field attachment is for the fulfillment for the award of degree in Information communication
technology. It gives the students a chance to exercise practical work discussed in class
theoretically. The field industrial attachment exposes the students to the real life in the work
environment. It allows the attaches to get used to what is expected of them and also get more
knowledge from the field to gain competitive advantage after completion in various courses.

ABSTRACT
The report is on industrial field attachment carried out at Tegat Tea Factory report contains
different parts and sections. It starts from cover page, declaration, acknowledgment, chapter 1,
chapter 2, chapter 3, chapter 4 and chapter 5.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON AREA OF ATTACHMENT

Tegat Tea Factory is one of the 67 factories managed by Kenya Tea Development Agency
Ltd. Its current designed capacity is 10 million kilos of green leaf. Its construction was done
between the years 1971-1978 when it was commissioned .The factory occupies an area
approximately 15 Ha of land.

It serves 10792 growers in 78 collecting centers all coded. The area under tea is
3598Acres.Most growers own less than one acre of land under tea. Clones of tea grown in the
catchments are 6/8, TN, 31/8, 12/2, BB35 & 303/557.

Rain Forest Alliance certification is administered by the Sustainable Agriculture Network

(SAN) .The standard is based on a practical and stringent standard for certifying farms based
on ten universal principles of sustainable agriculture which are built on the three pillars of
environment, economy and social justice.

Tegat tea factory complies with the ESP’s code for producers regarding conditions of work
and observance of labor laws, among other requirements.

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ISO22000:2005 is a standard that caters for the planning and realization of
safe food products. It entails Pre-Requisite Programs (PRPs) namely
HACCP, Traceability, control of non-conforming products and continual
improvement. Tegat is ISO 9001:2008 certified.
Tegat small holder farmers under the guidance of KTDAs professional staff have over the
years planted high quality tea bushes on the country. Tegat has consistently advised farmers to
pluck the best highlands. Tegat tea factory has consistently advised farmers to pluck the best
two leaves and a bud to create the World finest and distinctive tea.

The two leaves and a bud are flush, tender, succulent and fresh, thus guaranteeing freshness
in every cup. This is the quality that Tegat is renowned for globally.

Tegat tea factory produces Black CTC (Cut, Tear & Curl) teas. It manufactures and sells the
following tea grades:
Broken Pekoe 1 (BP1) - this grade forms about 13% -15% of the total manufacture. It has
the largest size of ‘grain’ particles and it produces liquors that are a bit light in body but with
encouraging flavoring characteristics such as briskness.

Pekoe Furning 1 (PF1) –this grade forms the bulk of the manufacture at about 55% - 60% of
the manufacture.PF1 is black and grainy with particles slightly smaller in size than those of
the BP1 grade.

Pekoe Dust (PD) –this grade forms 15% - 20% of the manufacture and is soft and black and
finer than the PF1. It produces thick liquors.

Dust 1(D1) –this grade is made up of the smallest particles and form about 6% - 8% of the
total

Production.
Furning 1(F1) –this is a mixture of traces of black tea and large amounts of small cut fibers
often sifted out of the primary grades.F1 forms about 1.5% - 2% of the production and is quite
useful in teabags due to its quick brewing, strong flavor and good color.

Dust (D) –this is made up of tiny beads if broken leaf and is often used to brew strong tea in
teabags. It comprises about 0.3% - 0.5% of production.

Tegat tea factory has been able to be recognized for producing quality made tea sold in
Mombasa auction by East Africa Tea Trade Association and Tea Board of Kenya for
the last four years.

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1.3 GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
Tegat Tea Factory falls within KTDA administrative Region VI and is situated in Kericho
County, 8 kilometers from Kericho town. Its about 417 kilometers from Nairobi. Its location is
0° 25’31.9” South of equator and 37 18’32.2” East of the Meridian at a height of 1820M above
sea level.

The factory was commissioned in 1978 to manufacture C.T.C tea with an annual installed
processing capacity of 10 million kilograms .Green leaf processing capacity has been enhanced
through modernization to cater for improved green leaf production.

Tegat Tea Factory is a parastatal that started during post-colonial period. It has mandate of
buying tea from farmers in some parts of Kericho south. It is one of the many tea factories under
KTDA and serves the small-scale farmers in the region. It has field for carrying out practical,
vehicles and motorcycles for exercising extension work. There are also Lorries used for tea
collection from buying centers and also processing machines for processing black tea.

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 CHAPTER 2
VISION:
To be the leading producer in high quality tea products in the world.
MISSION:
To provide efficient and effective services to the smallholder tea farmers in
production, processing and marketing of high quality tea for the benefit of our farmers
and other shareholders.

CORE VALUES
 Customer focused

 Uphold high standards of ethical practices.

 Socially responsible.

 Equal opportunity employer.

 Working together as a team.

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HOST DEPARTMENT: ICT DEPARTMENT
2. 1. ICT department
IT department is one of the departments in Tegat Tea Factory that oversees maintenance of the
computer system, it is responsible for the architecture, hardware, software and networking of
computers in the company. The department comprises of the IT Manager position which is
currently held by MR. TALAM.

2.2. Key Functions of the department

• Technical Support, The ICT department provides support to computer users in the
company. This includes installing new software, repairing hardware problems, installing
new hardware, troubleshooting problems and training employees how to use new
software programs.

• Administration, IT department is also responsible for installing and setting up the

computer network in the company. They have to ensure that the network is operating
properly and that all employees have the ability to communicate through the internet and
company intranet. They keep the system secure and troubleshoot the system in the event
of a problem.

• Storage The department has a store used for storage of the electronic equipment that
deals with computer, such as the printers, faulty computers and cameras.

• Security- Provision of security in the company by installation and maintenance of the

CCTV cameras around the company.

• Facilitate good communication in the company by creating backup copies for the data,
maintain and trouble shoot email systems and Setting up point-to-point phone calls and
conference calls.

• Employees’ registration – the department has an ideal duty of providing Biometric

registration of new employees in the system.

• Troubleshooting- the IT department has the duty of ensuring all the networks, computer
systems, software systems and all electronic devices used in the company have smooth
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 operation. In case of any failures; the IT department has the responsibility of Correcting
the system Flaws and handling hardware repairs.

• Assisting the use of software to end-users in the organization through guidance and first-time
training of end-user employees.

• Help in data management and system administration to all functional areas of the organization.

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2.3. Skills gained from the department.
Networking.
Router configuration
The following procedure was followed:

• Connect the router to a computer and try accessing it with the username and
password on a browser.

• Press the reset button to reset the router for it to be accessed by the default
password and user name, it clears out any changes that could have been made for
a second hand router.

• Assign the router a new username and password that cannot be guessed easily.

• Check your Internet settings. In the Internet, Setup, or Home menu of your
router, check that your Internet IP address, DCHP, and DNS settings are all set.
These should typically be set to automatic unless your service provider informs
you otherwise

• Open the Wireless settings. This menu may be called Wireless, Wireless
Settings, Basic Setup, or something similar. This page will display your wireless
SSID, channel, encryption, and other settings

• Name your network. Find the field labeled SSID. This is the name of your
network, and it will appear in the list of available networks for your wireless
devices. Be sure to not put any personal information in your network name, as the
name will be public. Make sure that the "Enable SSID Broadcast" box is checked.
The Channel should be set to Auto. If you have a lot of wireless networks in your
area, your router will automatically move the network to a clean channel.

• Choose your wireless encryption. This can also be called the Security Options.
Here you will be able to choose which method you want to use to encrypt your

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 network traffic. The options for most routers are WEP, WPA-PSK, and WPA2-
PSK.

• Choose a passphrase. The passphrase is what you enter when a device connects
to your network. A strong passphrase will help protect your network from
unwanted intruders

• Apply your settings. Once you have chosen your SSID, encryption type, and
passphrase, click the Apply or Save button to start your wireless network. Your
router will process for a few seconds, and then your wireless network will be
detectable by your wireless devices

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CHAPTER 3
ANALYSIS AND OBSERVATIONS.
3.1. Success
I interacted with servers, SIS system, switches, routers, printers and POS systems and various within the
organization whereby it was a good and available opportunity to learn and gain more skills in IT field.

I was able to also interact with a good number of staffs from various departments. Through them

I was able to learn a lot from them through observation and sharing with them. I was also able to

learn how to approach and interact with customers of various levels; companies that are the

clients solving security problems within the technical department.

I was able to compare what I had learned in school and within the industry as evaluation to how

the security solutions were provided to the client

Interactions with members of other departments made me understand how these departments

carry out their function and how they lead to success in delivery, this I done through observation

question asking.

I did interact with the staff members from various hierarchical positions within the company. I

had an opportunity to share with some them more about the institution and general life activities.

They were loving, caring, ready to share and trustworthy.

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3.2. Challenges Encountered During the Attachment
During my attachment period, I encountered the following challenges:

• There was so much to do and learn as compared to the time available for attachment.

• It was not easy working in a Company environment with no work schedule.

• Quite hard to adapt to the new environment, new climate, interacting with new people.

• There was no remuneration at the end of the attachment, despite the hard work put in.

• System restrictions in terms of access to the system: I was not allowed to access the
server room and some administrative systems alone for security purposes.

I was able to compare what I had learned in school and within the industry as evaluation to how

the security solutions were provided to the client

Interactions with members of other departments made me understand how these departments

carry out their function and how they lead to success in delivery, this I done through observation

question asking.

I interacted with the staff from various positions within the company. I had an opportunity to

share with some them more about the institution and general life activities. They were loving,

caring, ready to share and trustworthy.

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Activities include:

I. Changing of power supply units in computers

II. Changing of tonners in printers

III. Exercising digital tea census.

IV. Demarcation of land for farmers and measuring the space where they would establish
new tea bushes.

V. Confirmation of tea quality.

B. Participation

This is the most and best method for gaining practical experience. The method was highly
applicable. I gained experience in knowing the data entry on the flow of tea and their prices
according to their size.

C. Talks

The staff normally held talks to the attaches to train on various activities. Also advises on the
field one is attached. The talks were also on the different activities that are conducted by the in
the whole organization

COLLABORATIVE ACTIVITIES AT FACTORY

A. Co-hosting field days

The factory normally organizes for field days with various stakeholders on various issues. The
stakeholders may be farmer groups, group of experts on modern technologies, and members of
ministry of Agriculture in Kenya.

B. Student attachment and project studies.

Different researchers and scholars sometimes use the FACTORY farm to carry out projects for
award of various degrees, masters and PhD from different institutions and universities. Also,
NGO's and individual people carry out projects in the farm to assess how various new technique

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 CHAPTER 4
REPORT ON ACTIVITIES

Introduction
There were many skills, knowledge and experiences gained from the factory.

They include;

I. Troubleshooting of computers

II. Changing of tonners

III. Troubleshooting of printers i.e during paper jams

IV. Setting up networks

V. Green leaf collection

VI. Replacing power supply unit,

• Replacing toners on various type of printers

• Repairing of faulty printers

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 • Document Scanning,

• Helped in scanning of various documents in the IT office

Formatting and installing software.

• Installation and Activation of Microsoft Office application program (Office 2010, 2013,
2016).

• Installation and activation of one drive for document backup in the system.

• Installation of Operating system (Windows 7, 10, 8.1 and XP).

• Installing Browsers (Firefox, Google chrome) and configuring it.

EVALUATION OF THE INDUSTRIAL ATTACHMENT

4.1 Personal and professional competencies

The entire period of attachment has given me a very good chance to learn a lot from the
organization. I have gained much experience necessary to drive a change in me. Personally, I
didn’t think that the entire period is meant for learning but now I have a different perspective on
attachment.
During the attachment I was able to put into practice what I have been taught in class. Various
protocols followed while solving problems regarding to the department of ICT have enabled me
to know work flows.
Under ICT department, the attaches have the mandate to learn themselves without being
instructed by the supervisors. This gives them a good chance to advance knowledge in areas that
one did not understand very well while doing the classes work. This department is well
organized from the head of the ICT department in the organization where I was attached.
Unlike many organizations, Tegat tea factory is unique in that they emphasize on self-driven
motives in whatever one is doing. The attachment supervisors are very friendly and I found it
very open to ask any question that is of concern.
The organization works extremely hard towards achieving their core values i.e., integrity,
innovation and excellence. For the integrity, the organization issues the attaches with terms,
conditions and policies under which they need us to comply with as attaches or interns. It ensures
that everybody works to best of his/her knowledge and ability to bring about excellence and
innovation by continuously improving on knowledge acquisition.
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On my own point of view, the work that have been doing while in this organization is very
professional. It gives the attaches a chance to contribute towards the mission and core values of
the organization.
CHAPTER FIVE

RECOMMENDATION & CONCLUSION

4.1. Recommendation on how to improve the attachment.

•

• The Company should advertise the attachment opportunity online for students to easily
apply for it.

• The university should suggest attachment organization for students based on the training.

• There should be introduction of induction lessons on work ethics and conduct during
attachment.

• The company should provide PPES for the students on attachment.

• The IT department should consider training students on how to access servers and at least
give them an exposure to how a server is like physically and its various components.

4.2. Conclusion
My journey at Tegat Tea Factory was one adventurous one and very educative. It gave me a

chance to explore and interact with various systems, people from all cultures in our country since

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clients and people at the company are from different ethnicities in our country and also outside

(Kenya).

The job scope and duties assigned focused primarily on hardware, software and networking. The

work was highly relevant to the field of study in Information Technology as it includes all

computer aspects.

During the period of attachment, valuable knowledge was gained through active participation

and inquisitive learning. Knowledge on how to handle hardware devices for example repair,

cleaning and maintenance was acquired.

Use of SIS System application software in security was explored. Knowledge on servers, LAN

connection and IP phones was also gained.

Skills learned included build of good rapport with the staff and confidence in communication

with senior managers, handling clients, teamwork, work-life balance and ethical and

professionalism. This industrial attachment proved to have highly supplemented the student’s

insight in the Information Technology world. It was a beneficial and educating experience.

PROBLEMS FACED DURING ATTACHMENT PERIOD

Various problems were faced during the attachment period. They include the following:

I. Lack of enough working equipment which includes lack of convenient means of

transport.
II. Less cooperating working staff and students.
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III. Financial problems.
IV. Improper orientation of students on various factory departments.

V. Machine failure, sometime the machine would fail to work and this will bring discouragement

VI. Most of the users lack sufficient skill on the use of machines, thus bring about machine failure leading
boredom.
VII. Since most of institutions do not pay attaches, I had a challenge on my daily up keep and
transport.
VIII. Some workers were difficult to approach since they assume that the student knows everythin

RECOMMENDATION
 They should purchase more tools and equipment to be used in work.
 The factory management to carry out good orientation to their support staff to train
them on how to handle visitors and students on attachment for maximum gaining of
knowledge.

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  the management should also be supportive to the attaches with little cash to sustain
them since they are not working

CONCLUSION
During the attachment section I gained a lot of experience and knowledge .Am now competent in
various fields. My attachment at Tegat Tea Factory was a great success. I had a chance to learn
more about extension and what it entails to information communication technology

I conclude that this place was the best place to be attached for it has variety of activities which
covers almost all fields in IT though it is not much of a very big company. I appreciate the efforts
of all people who made my attachment a success.

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