Kagwe vows crackdown on rogue tea factories

By Daisy Okiring

Tea factories found engaging in the illegal hawking of green leaf face immediate deregistration, Agriculture and Livestock Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has warned.

Citing violations of the Tea Act of 2020, the CS declared that the government will take firm and immediate action against any factory or individual undermining the integrity of the tea value chain—a key sector supporting millions of Kenyan livelihoods.

“We will not tolerate any practice that jeopardizes the integrity of the tea value chain or endangers the livelihoods of our hardworking farmers,” said Kagwe.

Speaking during a high-level consultative meeting held at Kilimo House in Nairobi, Kagwe issued a stern warning to rogue processors who bypass legal channels by selling green leaf directly, a move that disrupts pricing, weakens regulation, and risks long-term market stability.

Ministry upholding discipline and accountability

Kagwe reiterated that the Ministry of Agriculture is fully committed to upholding discipline and accountability within the tea sector and will enforce existing legislation to the letter.

“Delicensing is not a threat—it is a lawful consequence,” he added.

The crackdown follows rising concerns over unethical practices among some factories that engage in unsanctioned green leaf trading, a violation that not only affects transparent pricing mechanisms but also reduces returns to smallholder tea farmers who depend on structured cooperative systems.

Kenya’s tea industry is a major foreign exchange earner, with over 600,000 small-scale farmers contributing to more than 60% of national tea production. Any disruption to this value chain, the ministry warned, threatens rural livelihoods and investor confidence.

Kagwe called for stronger collaboration among regulators, tea agencies, and farmer cooperatives to monitor compliance and uphold best practices throughout the production and marketing process.