Tea farmers' patience withers as meagre bonuses deepen despair

South Rift tea farmers threaten to uproot bushes over meagre bonuses. [File, Standard]

Tea farmers across the South Rift are threatening to uproot their bushes and switch to alternative crops following disappointing bonus payments, raising questions about the impact of government reforms aimed at improving earnings for more than 700,000 smallholder growers.

The discontent follows the declaration of second payments for the 2025/26 financial year, with factories announcing rates ranging from Sh12.50 to Sh50 per kilogramme of green leaf delivered for processing.

Farmers in the West of Rift Valley say the payments are inadequate to cover production costs, household expenses and debts incurred to maintain farms. Some are considering switching to crops such as avocado, while others want urgent government intervention.

At Kaptumo/Chebut Tea Factory in Nandi County, farmers have given the government seven days to address their grievances, threatening to boycott green-leaf deliveries if no action is taken. They are demanding intervention by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Tea Board of Kenya, alongside the removal of the factory’s directors.

Farmer Richard Rono said the bonus had dropped from Sh17.50 per kilo last year to Sh12.50 this year, despite government reforms. “The bonus we have received this year has nothing good to write home about,” he said, adding that many growers had taken fertiliser on credit and were struggling to repay the loans.

The farmers want at least Sh28 per kilo, arguing that payments should reflect production costs and the labour invested in growing tea.

At Mogogosiek Tea Factory, farmer Joseph Rono said fluctuating payments had undermined confidence in the crop. “We have no other option but to uproot tea and replace it with more profitable crops like avocado.”

Kapkoros Tea Factory farmer Lonah Rotich also appealed for government intervention, saying 15 years of tea farming had failed to deliver the returns she expected.

However, payments have varied considerably across the country. Momul Tea Factory in Kericho County declared Sh34 per kilogramme, amounting to Sh1.1 billion for its farmers.

Factory chairman Isaiah Langat attributed the performance to quality control and farmer training in planting, pruning, fertiliser application and crop management. The factory serves approximately 17,000 growers in Belgut and Sigowet sub-counties.

Other factories reported mixed results. Rukuriri declared Sh50 per kilo, Kanyenyaini Sh30 and Kapkatet/Tebesonik Sh25. Litein announced Sh18, while Tegat/Toror declared Sh19. Several factories, including Mogogosiek, Kapset, Kobel, Rorok and Boito, announced Sh16.

The differences have renewed scrutiny of reforms introduced to improve smallholder earnings and strengthen governance in the sector.

In July 2023, then Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua chaired a national tea conference in Kericho following President William Ruto’s Executive Order No. 1 of 2023, which assigned him responsibility for spearheading reforms in the tea, coffee and milk sub-sectors.

The reform agenda included minimum prices, subsidised fertiliser, increased monthly payments, lower loan interest rates and advancing bonus payments from October to July. It also sought to strengthen farmers’ control of the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA).

Tea Board of Kenya chief executive Willy Mutai maintains the interventions are yielding results. According to the board, average green-leaf payments rose from Sh35 per kilo in 2021 to Sh64 in 2024 before falling to Sh56 in 2025.

The government targets payments of at least Sh100 per kilo by next year, banking on improved quality, lower production costs, value addition and more competitive markets.

National tea production increased from 537 million kilos in 2021 to 598 million in 2024 before declining to 550 million in 2025. Export earnings, however, rose from Sh136.5 billion in 2021 to Sh186.9 billion in 2025.