Government plans stricter laws to clean up tea sector

The government is planning tighter regulations to streamline Kenya's multi-billion-shilling tea sector and protect more than 800,000 farmers from exploitation.

The proposed rules will map all players across the tea value chain and strengthen oversight by the Tea Board of Kenya (TBK). The regulator will enforce penalties targeting malpractices such as hawking of green leaf across regions and theft at processing factories.

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the new framework will introduce stricter licensing requirements for tea factories. Applicants will be required to meet minimum green leaf supply thresholds aligned to national processing capacity and demonstrate both financial and technical capability.

Kagwe spoke at Rukuriri Tea Factory in Embu during the launch of the Kenya Tea Industry Performance Report 2025. He was accompanied by factory directors led by KTDA chairman Enos Njeru.

The CS said the government will also tighten controls on tea imports to prevent Kenya from becoming a dumping ground for low-quality tea.

"This will protect Kenya from being a dumping ground for low-quality tea in the domestic market," he said.

He added that the Tea Board of Kenya will be empowered to enforce compliance by suspending, revoking or varying licences in cases of non-compliance, while ensuring strict adherence to reporting requirements.

The reforms will also introduce a tea levy aimed at creating a sustainable funding mechanism for marketing, research, development and value addition in the sector.

"For decades, the Kenya tea industry has been disadvantaged in global competitiveness compared to countries such as Sri Lanka and China, largely due to insufficient marketing and limited investment in value addition," Kagwe said.

KTDA chairman Enos Njeru urged lawmakers from tea-growing regions to prioritise legislation that safeguards farmers' interests.

He raised concerns over provisions in the Tea Amendment Bill, 2023, warning that proposals such as the Direct Settlement System (DSS) could disrupt fertiliser imports and factory operations.

"There is a need to allow the factories to be managed through the Company Act and allow the management of six directors to remain," said Njeru.

He added that factories must prioritise quality production to attract more buyers in the global market.

Meanwhile, East African Tea Trade Association Managing Director George Omuga said tea production declined from 598.5 million kilos in 2024 to 550 million kilos in 2025, an indication of the much needed reforms to stabilise the sector.