Tea farmers in Murang’a County are eagerly awaiting the announcement of this year’s tea bonus on September 30, hoping for better returns after a disappointing payout last year.
The 2025 payout sparked outrage amongst growers from factories in the east Rift that covers Mt Kenya region.
Some factories announced a payout of as low as Sh33 per kilo of delivered green leaf, a sharp decline from the previous year, 2023-2024, where some of the highest-paying factories paid Sh62 per kilogramme.
Comparatively, last year the highest payout was around Sh50 per kilogramme, with all factories recording a drop, which angered the growers with some even noting they would turn to alternative crops if the prices do not improve.
The Kenya Tea Development Agency LTD attributed the sharp decline in earnings to a slump in global market prices for the product, amongst other factors.
Charles Mwangi, a smallholder farmer who delivers his green leaf to Kanyenyaini Tea Factory, said the payout was a major blow and he was still reeling from the shock of last year’s payout announcement.
“We were very disappointed by the previous prices because we had loans that could no longer be serviced. We hope the government has now intervened and we will get better prices this year.
I am one of the growers who had considered uprooting the tea bushes for an alternative crop even though my family solely depends on the crop, but I decided to give it two more years, ” he said.
Mwangi revealed that in 2024 they received Sh51 per kilo, but last year payout was a mere Sh33 per kilogramme. That drop, he says, threw many tea farmers into financial uncertainty.
“The cost of production and farm inputs is still high; thus, the returns should commensurate with the effort,” he noted.
In Kangema constituency, Esther Wanjiru, who delivers her green leaf to Githambo Tea factory echoes similar sentiments.
“Tea is our sole source of livelihood; we are waiting for the announcement eagerly, hoping that the anticipated bonus will give us some relief and enable us to secure a livelihood for our families, while also taking care of our farms,” she said.
Another farmer who also delivers his green leaf to Githambo tea factory, Peter Karanja, said he was already considering diversifying into avocado farming, citing uncertainty in the tea market.
“Tea prices are always uncertain unlike crops like avocado, which I may ultimately venture into; however we hope that our cries were heard last year and that this year the payout will be favourable .
“We expect at least Sh55 and above per kilogramme which will motivate us to work harder on our farms to deliver quality tea as we will be able to meet other financial obligations,” he notes.
Karanja says that last year they received a payout of Sh32 per kilo compared to the Sh49 they received in the 2024 bonus payout.
“Instead of the prices declining the government should intervene and stabilise the sector by cushioning the grower against yearly price fluctuations,” he said.
The country has more than 650,000 smallholder tea farmers, alongside several large-scale estate producers divided into the East Rift covering Mt. Kenya region and the West of the Rift covering Rift Valley and South Nyanza.
by Florence Kinyua
