Nairobi: The government has committed to revitalizing the Nyamache and Itumbe tea factories in Kisii County by focusing on crop rejuvenation, upgrading processing equipment, and implementing measures to combat tea hawking, which has been detrimental to factory operations. According to Kenya News Agency, Principal Secretary for Agriculture Dr. Paul Kipronoh Ronoh announced that the government would consider supporting the factories’ request for Sh250 million to modernize processing equipment, provided that technical teams collaborate with government officials to finalize specifications.
The investment aims to finance essential machinery, including two automatic withering machines, a CTC dryer, new orthodox tea-processing equipment, and the construction of necessary buildings for the two factories. Ronoh also instructed the Tea Board of Kenya to enforce the Tea Act, 2020, which prohibits factories from purchasing green leaf from farmers registered with other facilities, targeting the issue of tea hawking, known locally as mang’ereto.
The board of directors for Nyamache and its satellite, Itumbe, presented a memorandum to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development in Nairobi, detailing the challenges faced by the factories. The practice of tea hawking has significantly reduced their access to green leaf, causing them to operate below capacity despite the availability of sufficient farmers and production potential in the region.
To address this, Ronoh mentioned the potential introduction of an online payment system within two weeks to expedite payments to farmers, reducing the appeal of hawkers’ immediate cash offers. The government has also pledged 100,000 tea seedlings for Nyamache smallholder farmers and 10,000 seedlings for each of the 14 tea factories in Kisii and Nyamira counties to replace aging tea bushes and improve productivity.
Nyamache Tea Factory, established in 1978 by the late President Jomo Kenyatta, was designed to process about 15 million kilogrammes of green leaf annually. However, during peak seasons, farmers deliver up to seven million kilogrammes beyond that capacity, straining machinery that has not seen significant modernization since its inception. Itumbe, as a satellite facility, also faces challenges due to outdated equipment and insufficient investment.
Ronoh urged the factories to complement government support by exploring cost-reduction strategies per unit of made tea and adopting alternative marketing arrangements to enhance farmer returns. He also supported proposals for a western-region tea auction to cut transportation costs for western Kenya-produced tea, currently transported to the Mombasa auction.
The planned replanting offers farmers an opportunity to boost productivity on lands that have sustained families for generations, though replacing old bushes entails a long-term transition before new tea plants reach full production. The situation at Nyamache highlights broader challenges for Kenya’s older tea factories, including aging infrastructure, declining productivity, competition for green leaf, and the need for fresh investment.
A joint technical team, comprising officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, the Kenya Tea Development Agency, research institutions, and financial stakeholders, is expected to work on implementing the proposed interventions. Principal Secretary for Broadcasting and Telecommunication Stephen Motari Isaboke, who led the delegation of tea farmers from Kisii and Nyamira counties, expressed optimism about the government’s commitments.
Tea remains a key agricultural export for Kenya, providing significant foreign exchange and supporting millions of livelihoods. The proposed interventions are anticipated to breathe new life into the Nyamache and Itumbe factories, enhancing productivity, farmer incomes, and the sustainability of tea farming in Kisii and Nyamira counties.
