This archive report was first published on 25 September 2019.
Kenya's cash crop farming has been in a state of crisis, with farmers struggling to make ends meet. The sector, which was once a major contributor to the country's economy, has seen a significant decline in production and earnings.
From pyrethrum to coffee and now tea, Kenyan farmers have been abandoning their cash crops in search of better alternatives. The reasons for this shift are complex, but one thing is clear: the government's promises to support farmers have not been fulfilled.
Take the case of Michael Githaiga, a 31-year-old farmer from Nyeri who was recorded uprooting his tea bushes in May this year. In a video clip, Githaiga addressed President Uhuru Kenyatta, expressing his frustration with the government's failure to support farmers. He accused the government of breaking its promises to farmers, despite the president's assurances during his re-election campaign.
Githaiga's story is not an isolated one. In Western Kenya, small-scale tea farmers are abandoning the crop in droves, citing declining returns. In Kakamega and Vihiga counties, farmers have shifted their attention to alternative income sources, such as horticulture, poultry, and dairy farming.
Despite the government's promises to revive the tea industry, nothing much has come out of it. Governor Wycliffe Oparanya of Kakamega County has pledged financial support to tea farmers, but the sector remains in crisis.
The coffee sector is also struggling, with a 66% production drop over the past 20 years. In 1988, Kenya produced 130,000 tonnes of coffee, but by the 2016/2017 season, production had dropped to 45,000 tonnes. The government's announcement of a Ksh 3 billion cherry fund kitty to benefit farmers has yet to materialize.
So, what is killing Kenya's cash crop farming? The answer lies in the government's broken promises and lack of support for farmers. Politicians have used farmers as an agenda to propel themselves into office, only to forget about them once they are in power. It is time for Kenyans to demand more from their leaders and hold them accountable for their actions.
