Tea farmers from tea-growing zones in Murang’a County have expressed outrage over this year’s low bonus payments, with some threatening to uproot their tea bushes and switch to alternative crops following disappointing returns.
The farmers say the low returns have left them struggling to meet household expenses and repay loans, prompting calls for urgent government intervention to stabilise the tea sector.
Farmers affiliated to Kanyenyaini Tea Factory said they had received Sh30 per kilogramme of delivered green leaf, down from Sh33.50 last year, despite earlier assurances that the payments would improve.
Conversely, in 2024 the farmers had received Sh51 per kilogram of delivered green leaf.
A local farmer, Hezekiel Ndegwa, observed that he had already started uprooting some of his tea bushes to make room for avocado farming.
“We are at a crossroads, wondering whether to uproot this crop or continue growing it. Last year, we were paid Sh33.50 per kilogramme and given hope that this year would be better. Unfortunately, we have received only Sh30,” he said.
Ndegwa said he has about 3,000 tea bushes but feels the returns no longer justify the effort and cost of production.
“It appears that I am only benefiting the government through taxes and levies, while my family continues to suffer,” he lamented.
Another farmer, Selina Muthoni Kamau, said the payout was disappointing given the labour required to maintain tea farms, adding that she was considering abandoning tea farming for dairy production.
“We have never seen this before. We toiled, but we have only received peanuts. Growing and managing tea is labour-intensive, yet we have received so little.
I am considering uprooting my tea bushes and rear cows if this does not change. I once had a cow that gave me Sh10,000 per month. I would rather plant fodder for my cows than continue growing tea,” she said.
On his part, Paul Ngure, chairperson and farmer of the Kairine Y24 buying centre affiliated to the Kanyenyaini tea factory, said farmers were frustrated by the declining payments despite years of promises of better returns.
“We were paid Sh30 per kilogramme, and we are very disappointed with the 2025/2026 bonus because instead of the payments going up, they keep reducing. We are angry. Every year we receive promises, but look at what has just happened,” he said.
Ngure said many farmers had outstanding debts and loans they feared they would fail to repay.
He also questioned why farmers were reportedly facing deductions of Sh3,000 for a 50 kg bag of fertiliser despite the government offering subsidised fertiliser at Sh2,000 per bag.
“KTDA is deducting Sh3000 per bag of fertiliser, yet the government is offering the same at Sh2000 per bag; this discrepancy needs to be investigated,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kangema Member of Parliament Peter Kihungi has questioned the disparity in bonus payments between tea factories in Zone Two and Zone Three, saying some farmers in Zone Two were receiving more than Sh47 per kilogramme, while those in Zone Three were receiving about Sh30.
Kihungi, who joined farmers at Kiirini Tea Buying Centre, said the differences in payments among factories operating within the same region required urgent investigation.
He called on Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata to establish a task force to investigate the disparities, noting that agriculture was a devolved function and the county government had the responsibility of addressing farmers’ concerns.
“We also call for speedy investigations by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations into an alleged excess payment of Sh322 million during the 2024/2025 fertiliser procurement. Our farmers deserved to know whether any irregularities had occurred and whether they had affected the sector,” he noted.
The highest declared tea bonus payout for the 2025/2026 financial year stands at Sh50 per kilogramme, compared with Sh62.80 per kilogramme in the previous year.
By Florence Kinyua
