Kericho Tea Farmers Set for Bonuses of Up to Sh34 per Kilogramme

Tea farmers in Kericho County are set to receive bonuses ranging from Sh16 to Sh34 per kilogramme for the 2025/2026 financial year, according to a bonus schedule circulating among growers.

Momul Tea Factory has the highest listed rate at Sh34 per kilogramme, followed by Kapkatet and Tebesonik, each at Sh25. Tirgaga is listed at Sh22, while Motigo, Oleng and Chelal are set to pay Sh20 per kilogramme.

The schedule lists Tegat and Toror at Sh19 per kilogramme and Litein at Sh18. Kapkoros is listed at Sh17, while Kapset, Rorok, Mogogo, Boito and Kobel each have a rate of Sh16 per kilogramme.

The amount received by an individual farmer will depend on the quantity of qualifying green leaf delivered during the financial year. A grower with 1,000 kilogrammes of qualifying deliveries at a rate of Sh34 would receive Sh34,000, while the same volume at a Sh16 rate would earn Sh16,000.

The payments come as the government continues efforts to improve earnings and strengthen the tea value chain. The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development has identified better efficiency, value addition, lower production costs and improved returns to farmers as key areas of reform in the sector.

Farmer payments have remained a major concern in the smallholder tea industry. The draft Kenya Tea Industry Policy notes that the level and regularity of monthly and bonus payments have affected growers, with low returns making it harder for some farmers to sustain production.

The Tea Registration and Licensing Regulations, 2024, provide a framework for monthly payments linked to tea sales. Under the regulations, the monthly green leaf price is based on 50 per cent of monthly tea sale proceeds divided by the total green leaf delivered during the month. The balance due from annual proceeds is paid in accordance with the Tea Act.

The government has also increased consultations with farmers and tea factory management over production, marketing and payments.

In May 2025, Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe held discussions with chairpersons of KTDA-managed smallholder tea factories from the West of Rift region in Kericho. The discussions focused on revitalising the sector, improving productivity and raising farmer incomes through measures including value addition and better extension services.

Kagwe has also urged tea farmers to focus on quality, particularly harvesting the two leaves and a bud, which can help improve the quality and marketability of Kenyan tea.

The government has continued to link better farmer returns to reforms in tea marketing and processing. Agriculture Principal Secretary Dr Kipronoh Ronoh said in September 2026 that scientific tea testing was ready to become fully operational. He also said a Digital Green Leaf Payment System was expected to be rolled out to improve transparency and efficiency in farmer payments.

Efforts to reduce production costs have also included subsidised fertiliser for small-scale farmers. The Ministry has said farmers can access a 50-kilogramme bag at Sh2,000, with the Kenya Tea Development Agency urged to speed up distribution and farmer sensitisation ahead of the rains.

The listed bonus rates are expected to provide additional income to tea-growing households across the Kericho region. However, the factory-by-factory figures remain subject to confirmation by the relevant factory management, KTDA or tea sector authorities before farmers can rely on them as final payment rates.