This archive report was first published on 13 May 2020.
On May 11, 2020, tea farmers in Nyamira expressed their opposition to the draft Report on Tea Regulations in Kenya, citing discrepancies and potential losses.
Representatives from Kebirigo, Sang'anyi, and Tombe Tea Factory Companies in Nyamira stated that the Report contained misguided recommendations on the management of the tea sector, which would erode the gains farmers had achieved since independence.
The farmers noted several inconsistencies in the report, including the proposed scrapping of central management of smallholder tea farming by the Kenya Tea Development Agency and regulations on marketing the crop.
They also expressed concern over the taskforce's failure to address heavy taxation on tea, which they claimed was impoverishing the growers.
"Farmers are subjected to pay a total of 13 taxes from the buying center to the auction market in Mombasa. We had a similar task force that was instituted in 2007 and we never saw any of their recommendations about taxation addressed. And even the Draft which is with the President, the issue of taxation is not mentioned anywhere," said Jones Mokaya, a representative of the farmers.
Amani National Congress leader Musalia Mudavadi also expressed opposition to the draft regulations, stating that the management of the 69 tea factories in the country should remain under the control of the Kenya Tea Development Agency.
"In a liberalized economy, there must be freedom of choice for the producer to choose where to sell his produce and make profit. If all the tea produced in the country is offloaded in the auction, prices would shrink further as compared to the current situation," stated Mudavadi in his letter to Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya.
