Senators have called for urgent government intervention following growing outrage among tea farmers over massive disparities in bonus payments across Kenya. Recent Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) reports for the 2024/25 financial year revealed that farmers in the Mt Kenya region earned as high as Sh50 per kilogramme, while others in Kisii, Nyamira, and western Kenya received as little as Sh10 to Sh12.
The discrepancies have ignited protests in parts of Kisii and Nyamira, where frustrated farmers have begun destroying tea collection centres in anger over what they describe as unfair treatment. Nominated Senator Esther Okenyuri warned that the glaring inequalities risk destabilising one of Kenya’s top foreign exchange earners.
“The government, KTDA, and relevant stakeholders must urgently review the disparities and restore fairness, equity, and confidence among farmers,” she said.
Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka criticised KTDA for failing to explain the variations, saying questions he raised in the Senate’s Agriculture Committee have gone unanswered for over two years. He dismissed claims that soil or farming practices justify such huge differences, calling for scientific quality assessments instead.
Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei termed the differences a “travesty and injustice,” citing factories like Kinoro in Mt Kenya paying Sh48.10, while others like Chebut, Mudete, and Nyansiongo paid under Sh12.
However, Narok Senator Ledama Olekina and Deputy Speaker Kathuri Murungi defended KTDA, attributing the variations to factory management, climate, and leaf quality. Murungi noted that some factories pluck four leaves and a bud instead of the standard two, reducing quality.
Senators William Kisang and Joyce Korir urged the Ministry of Agriculture to convene all stakeholders to address the issue, stressing that the inequalities undermine the morale of thousands of smallholder farmers who depend on tea for their livelihoods.
