This archive report was first published on 28 August 2021.
Kenya's tea sector, once a lucrative business, has been plagued by poor returns and corruption, forcing many farmers to uproot their crops. In Kisii and Nyamira counties, where tea farming has been a mainstay for generations, farmers are now questioning the viability of the crop.
Samson Momanyi, an 80-year-old farmer from Nyacheki, Kisii County, planted tea on seven acres in 1972, expecting a good return. However, he says the situation changed over the last decade, with tea earnings and bonuses dwindling. His children suggested uprooting the crop, and he reluctantly agreed, citing the lack of economic viability.
Joseph Onkoba, a 74-year-old farmer from Magwagwa, Nyamira County, who started tea farming in 1978, also uprooted three acres in 2016. He now farms vegetables and fruits, as none of his eight children is interested in tea farming. Onkoba blames the decline of the tea sector on corruption and inefficiencies within the KTDA.
Efficient services were once the hallmark of the tea sector, with factory directors and senior managers ensuring farmers received timely payments and addressing complaints promptly. However, corruption became rampant, with those found guilty of malpractices bribing their way back to office. Hannah Mokeira, a 68-year-old widow from Birongo, Kisii County, who has maintained her tea crop, calls for the elimination of brokers and middlemen who are making a killing at the expense of ordinary farmers.
KTDA is embracing reforms introduced by the government to restore farmers' confidence. The newly elected directors in the 69 KTDA-managed factories across the country are currently in Mombasa for induction, where they will learn about their roles in promoting farmers' interests. The new leadership has pledged to increase the payment for tea leaves per kilo from Sh17 to Sh20 and to prevent employees from robbing farmers of their rightful earnings.
During a consultative meeting with tea farmers in October last year, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya said the sector earns the country Sh120 billion in foreign exchange annually and that the government could not afford to ignore it. Investigations are ongoing into the mysterious 1,000 containers of Kenyan tea allegedly discovered in the United Arab Emirates and Afghanistan being traded in a clandestine manner.
