President William Ruto’s claim that small-scale tea growers were earning an average of Sh56 per kilogramme of green leaf supplied to factories has sparked a storm in the sector, with farmers saying he was completely off the mark.
This comes as the High Court in Nairobi gave small-scale tea growers in Nyamira and Kisii counties the go-ahead to initiate judicial review proceedings over the 2025/2026 second tea payment, popularly known as the bonus, citing alleged discrimination, irregular financial calculations and violations of the Tea Act, 2021.
At the same time, tea growers in Nandi, Kericho, Bomet and Nakuru counties protested low bonus payments ranging from Sh12.50 to Sh22 per kilogramme, compared with Sh50 paid by factories in the larger Mt Kenya region.
President Ruto announced on Thursday, during a town hall meeting at the ongoing Agriculture and Food Systems Transformation Summit in Nairobi, that reforms in the tea sector had raised farmers’ earnings to an average of Sh56 per kilogramme of green leaf across the country.
“Three years ago, the prices were Sh34 per kilogramme, but the average prices now is Sh56,” Dr Ruto said, with the figures confirmed by Tea Board of Kenya Chief Executive Officer Willy Mutai.
But Mr Joseph Rono, an agricultural expert and spokesperson for the Tea Small Scale Farmers Association, said the President should be properly briefed on the real situation in the tea industry to avoid embarrassing himself before farmers.
President William Ruto during the Agriculture and Food Security Transformation Summit at the Jamhuri ASK Showground in Nairobi on Thursday, October 8, 2026.
Photo credit: PCS
“The President might have meant well, depending on the brief that he has. But to tell farmers they are paid Sh56 on average when the actual payment is Sh26 per kilogramme and an average of Sh17 on second payment (bonus), bringing the total average to between Sh41 and Sh43 per kilogramme, is completely off the mark,” Mr Rono said.
Mr Rono asked: “Where did the President get the additional Sh13 per kilogramme? And if indeed that is the situation, where is the difference? That amount does not hit our bank accounts and is not in the payment slips. Who pockets it?”
Mr Alexander Rono, who supplies his produce to Tirgaga Tea Factory in Bomet County, confirmed that in April, the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) increased the price of green leaf per kilogramme to Sh26 from Sh23, which had prevailed for two years.
“We are shocked that the President, without interrogating the figures, went public and made a statement that has made him look bad before the farmers. It is totally misleading to claim the prices have risen to Sh56 when the facts contradict his statement,” Mr Rono said.
Mr Willy Mutai (left) the Tea Board of Kenya Chief Executive Officer and Dr Paul Ronoh, the Principal Secretary for Agriculture, confer during a meeting with farmers at Tirgaga tea factory in Bomet county on August 24, 2024.
Photo credit: Vitalis Kimutai | Nation Media Group
Farmers in the sector, which has 700,000 small-scale growers, have strongly disputed the President’s claim, saying it does not reflect the true situation on the ground.
A spot check showed that most factories pay farmers between Sh22 and Sh26 per kilogramme of fresh leaf in the West of Rift, while those in the East of Rift pay an average of Sh30 per kilogramme.
KTDA, which has a major stake in the industry, has been pushing factories to pay farmers at least Sh26 per kilogramme.
The discrepancy in prices has been attributed to alleged differences in the quality of plucking, with the recommended two leaves and a bud. Farmers in the West of Rift are accused of not adhering to this standard, while those in the East of Rift are said to have embraced it.
Low bonus payments for farmers in the West of Rift have triggered protests and legal action by small-scale tea growers, who are demanding better returns from an industry that is one of Kenya’s leading foreign exchange earners.
The protesting farmers are seeking a halt to bonus payments and the adoption of a fair and equitable payment formula.
The High Court in Milimani, Nairobi, has granted small-scale farmers in Nyamira and Kisii permission to initiate judicial review proceedings against the Tea Board of Kenya and other parties over low bonus payments.
Justice Nabil Orina directed the farmers, represented by I.N. Nyaribo & Company Advocates, to file their substantive motion within seven days, with the respondents given 21 days to file their replies.
“Leave is granted to commence judicial review proceedings as prayed. The substantive motion shall be filed in a separate substantive cause within seven days of these directions. The same shall be served upon the Respondents and Interested Parties within that period,” Justice Orina ordered.
The respondents in the case are the Tea Board of Kenya, KTDA Management Services Ltd, the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development, and the Attorney-General. Jeremiah Migosi Nyaribari is the ex parte applicant. Sanganyi, Kebirigo and Tombe tea factories, as well as 68 small-scale tea farmers’ factories in Kenya, are listed as interested parties.
The farmers are contesting a reported 470 per cent disparity in bonus payments between factories in the East and West of Rift blocks.
For instance, Chebut and Kaptumo tea factories offer Sh12.50 per kilogramme of green leaf, while Rukuriri pays Sh50.
The farmers argue that the discrepancies threaten their livelihoods and violate their constitutional rights to equality.
Another issue cited by the farmers is the findings of a Tea Board audit that revealed irregularities in loan-borrowing practices among KTDA-managed factories.
In Nandi County, farmers from Chebut and Kaptumo tea factories staged demonstrations in Kapsabet town on Thursday, demanding an overhaul of factory leadership and better returns for their green leaf.
President William Ruto is shown the operations of a drone by the General Manager, Fahari Aviation Limited, Hawkins Musili, during the Agriculture and Food Security Transformation Summit at the Jamhuri ASK Showground in Nairobi on Thursday, October 8, 2026.
Photo credit: PCS
Some farmers have threatened to uproot their tea bushes if the low payments persist, saying growing the crop has become increasingly uneconomical because of the high costs of fertiliser, labour and transport.
At Kaptumo Tea Factory, farmers received a bonus of Sh12.50 per kilogramme for the 2025/2026 financial year, down from Sh13 per kilogramme the previous year, triggering anger among growers.
“It is no longer profitable maintaining the cash crop due to the high cost of fertilizer, fuel and labour. Bonus paid should be uniform across tea growing belts,” said Mr Richard Rono, a farmer who supplies his produce to Chebut factory.
Rukuriri Tea Factory in Central Kenya posted the highest bonus at Sh50 per kilogramme, while Momul Tea Factory in the West Rift paid Sh34 per kilogramme, up from Sh32.50 in the previous period.
The disparity has intensified concerns among Nandi farmers over the management of their factories and the returns they receive for their produce.
“Most farmers have no option but to uproot their tea bushes due to high operational costs and little returns,” said Nandi farmer David Kosgei.
The farmers argue that declining bonuses, coupled with rising production costs, are threatening the viability of tea farming in the region, where the crop has for years been a major source of household income.
The tea growers want the Government and KTDA to intervene urgently by opening up new markets and reducing dependence on traditional export destinations.
Instability in the Middle East, including the war involving Iran and the US and the reported closure of the Strait of Hormuz, has been linked to trade disruptions and rising petroleum prices, further increasing the cost of transporting farm inputs and tea.
“The Government needs to intensify its market strategies to offer farmers alternative markets for tea and enable farmers to earn more,” said John Tiony, a farmer from Kapkangani.
Farmers have called for greater accountability at the factory level, arguing that directors must answer to growers over the management of factories and the returns from their produce.
Tea remains one of Kenya’s major foreign exchange earners and a key source of livelihood for thousands of small-scale farmers in the Rift Valley and Central Kenya.
-Reporting by Vitalis Kimutai, Ruth Mbula and Barnabas Bii
