The National Land Commission has ordered multinational tea companies in Kericho and Bomet counties to renegotiate lease terms with local governments, warning that failure to comply could result in loss of land rights. The directive follows claims of historical land dispossession dating to the 1930s and allegations of underpayment of agricultural levies.
James Finlay, operating in Kenya since the 1920s, and Unilever, active since 1924, face immediate scrutiny. James Finlay manages 5,000 hectares across five factories, employing 9,500 people, while Unilever’s Kericho estate spans 8,700 hectares. Both companies must now adhere to new lease conditions, including commercial land rates and community compensation obligations.
Samuel Terer, a 104-year-old resident, recounted witnessing his family’s 1932 eviction from Chemasingi, now part of James Finlay’s estate. He was born in 1918, the same year his family’s land was seized by the African Highlands Produce Company, which later merged with the Swire Group. Local communities, including Kipsigis and Talai groups, claim British colonial authorities displaced them to make way for tea plantations.
The NLC ordered a land audit to identify discrepancies in reported acreages, citing evidence that companies paid as little as Sh294 per acre in rates—far below the legal Sh40,000. The commission also demanded excess land be transferred to counties for community trust, with multinationals leasing land at commercial rates. Companies must fund infrastructure projects, including schools and hospitals, to offset historical harms.
Kericho Governor Paul Chepkwony announced the recommendations will be implemented within three years, urging county assemblies to pass enabling legislation. Meanwhile, Senator Aaron Cheruiyot called for immediate rate revisions, citing a 25-year-old valuation that underrepresents the land’s value. The ruling could force firms to increase costs, with James Finlay and Unilever already reducing staff to mitigate financial strain.
