The government has pledged to support the revival of the Nyamache and Itumbe tea factories in Kisii County through crop rejuvenation, modernisation of processing equipment, and measures to curb tea hawking that is undermining factory operations.
Principal Secretary for Agriculture Dr Paul Kipronoh Ronoh said the Government would support the factories’ request for Sh250 million to modernise processing equipment, subject to their technical teams working with Government officials to finalise specifications.
The proposed investment will finance two automatic withering machines, a CTC dryer, new orthodox tea-processing machinery, and buildings for the two factories.
Ronoh also directed the Tea Board of Kenya to enforce provisions of the Tea Act, 2020, that restrict factories from purchasing green leaf from farmers registered with other factories.
The directive is aimed at addressing tea hawking, locally known as mang’ereto, a practice in which traders purchase green leaf directly from farmers, often offering immediate cash payments that factories cannot match under established payment cycles.
The Board of Directors of Nyamache Tea Factory and its satellite, Itumbe Tea Factory, had travelled to Nairobi to present a memorandum to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development outlining challenges facing the two facilities.
The factories say tea hawking has deprived them of green leaf and left them operating below capacity despite having sufficient farmers and production potential in the surrounding areas.
Ronoh said the Government was also considering an online payment system that could be operational within two weeks to speed up payments to farmers and reduce the attraction of hawkers’ immediate cash offers.
The Government has further committed 100,000 tea seedlings for Nyamache smallholder farmers to support the replacement of aging tea bushes.
In addition, 10,000 seedlings will be supplied to each of the 14 tea factories in Kisii and Nyamira counties as part of a broader strategy to improve tea productivity in the region.
Most tea bushes supplying Nyamache and Itumbe were planted around the time the factories were established and have been in production for nearly five decades.
The factories currently receive an average of about 0.5 kilogrammes of green leaf per bush annually, significantly below the Government’s target of 2.5 kilogrammes through phased replanting with climate-resilient tea varieties.
Nyamache Tea Factory, commissioned in 1978 by the late President Jomo Kenyatta, was established when tea farming was emerging as an important source of income for communities in Bobasi and surrounding areas.
The factory was designed to process approximately 15 million kilogrammes of green leaf annually, but farmers can deliver up to seven million kilogrammes beyond that capacity during peak seasons.
At times, the factory receives as much as 60 tonnes of green leaf daily, putting additional pressure on machinery that has not undergone significant modernisation since its establishment.
Itumbe was established as a satellite facility to absorb additional production but also faces challenges associated with ageing equipment and inadequate investment.
Ronoh said the factories should complement Government support by exploring ways of reducing the cost per unit of made tea and adopting alternative marketing arrangements that could improve returns to farmers.
He also backed proposals for the establishment of a western-region tea auction to reduce transportation costs for tea produced in western Kenya and currently transported to the Mombasa auction.
Such an auction, he said, could lower logistics costs and improve the competitiveness of tea from the region.
For farmers, the planned replanting offers an opportunity to restore productivity on farms that have supported generations of families. However, replacing old bushes is a long-term undertaking because farmers must manage a transition period before new tea reaches full production.
The Nyamache case highlights wider challenges facing some of Kenya’s older tea factories, including ageing infrastructure, declining productivity, competition for green leaf, informal markets, and the need for fresh investment.
A joint technical team comprising officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, the Kenya Tea Development Agency, research institutions, and financial stakeholders is expected to work on the proposed interventions.
Principal Secretary for Broadcasting and Telecommunication Stephen Motari Isaboke, EBS, who led the delegation of tea farmers from Kisii and Nyamira counties, welcomed the Government’s commitments.
“For the farmers of Bobasi, the hope is that the commitments made in Nairobi will translate into seedlings in their fields, faster payments, modern machinery at the factory, and a stronger market for their tea,” said Isaboke.
Tea remains one of Kenya’s major agricultural export commodities and an important source of foreign exchange, supporting millions of livelihoods directly and indirectly.
The proposed interventions are therefore expected to provide a new lease of life for the Nyamache and Itumbe factories while improving productivity, farmer incomes, and the sustainability of tea farming in Kisii and Nyamira counties.
By Absalam Namwalo
