NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 8 — The Green Thinking Action Party (GTAP) has called on the National Government to urgently intervene to protect tea farmers, restore export confidence and stabilise Kenya’s tea sector, warning that continued inaction is putting millions of livelihoods at risk.
In a statement read by GTAP Deputy Secretary-General Harrizon Ochieng, the party said tea—once Kenya’s leading foreign exchange earner—has suffered years of decline due to weak oversight, market failures and alleged cartel activity.
“Tea is not just a crop. It is a national livelihood system, a foreign exchange pillar and a stabiliser of rural economies. When tea [is] shaken, households shake, county economies shake and national confidence in governance [is] affected,” the party said.
The Isaac Kalua-led party noted that the sector suffered a major blow in 2023 when Iran—one of Kenya’s largest tea buyers—imposed a ban on Kenyan tea following a controversial consignment involving an Iranian firm linked to senior Kenyan officials.
The ban significantly reduced exports and earnings for farmers.
However, the party said renewed talks between Kenya and Iran have opened a window of opportunity to reclaim the market, urging the government to act with urgency and integrity to prevent further losses.
“Farmers must not continue paying the price for policy delays, weak oversight, market opacity, regulatory failure and the activities of cartels and unethical actors. The cost of inaction is now greater than the cost of reform,” the party said on Thursday.
GTAP outlined a series of immediate measures it wants implemented, including the publication of a national tea payment timeline within 30 days to ensure predictable farmer payments and transparency on factory deductions.
The party also called for emergency household cash-flow protection mechanisms in affected tea-growing regions.
Export traceability
To safeguard export credibility, GTAP proposed a nationwide export traceability programme within 90 days, requiring all tea consignments to be verifiable from factory to port to buyer, with mandatory quality certification before clearance.
The party further demanded the publication of a public register of all licensed tea exporters within 30 days and zero-tolerance enforcement against firms involved in adulteration, payment defaults or falsification, including prosecution and permanent disqualification from the sector.
GTAP also called for the establishment of a public Tea Sector Transparency Dashboard and an independent forensic audit of factory deductions and exporter conduct, with findings made public.
In addition, the party proposed the appointment of a high-level Tea Market Recovery Envoy within 14 days to rebuild buyer confidence and reopen blocked markets.
It also wants tea formally designated a Strategic Livelihood Sector within six months, supported by a permanent inter-agency oversight council.
The party said it would monitor government action and pursue parliamentary, administrative and judicial remedies where institutions fail to act.
“Confidence will return only through systems, enforcement, transparency, accountability and measurable delivery,” the statement said.
Kenya’s tea sector supports millions of smallholder farmers, particularly in Murang’a, Kiambu, Kericho, Nandi and Nyeri counties, and remains a critical pillar of rural economies and export earnings.
The ban on Kenyan tea was imposed following an alleged criminal trade malpractice involving a Kenyan firm, which led to the suspension of exports to the Middle Eastern nation. Before the suspension, Iran was among Kenya’s top tea importers.
In August last year, Kenya and Iran agreed to establish a joint committee tasked with removing trade barriers within 60 days, a move aimed at lifting the ban.
The development was announced during the 7th Session of the Kenya–Iran Joint Commission for Cooperation (JCC) held in Nairobi, co-chaired by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Iran’s Minister of Agriculture, Dr Gholamreza Nouri Ghezalcheh.
