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The Government has stepped up efforts to transform Kenya’s tea sector, with Motigo Tea Factory receiving a KSh 59.2 million grant to support modernization, improve processing efficiency and enhance the quality of tea produced by the factory.
The support was announced during an engagement between tea farmers, factory directors and senior government officials at Motigo Tea Factory. The meeting brought together Tea Board of Kenya Chief Executive Officer Mr. Willy K. Mutai, Principal Secretary for Agriculture Dr. Kipronoh Ronoh and Tea Board of Kenya Chairman Mr. Ndung’u Gathinji, who interacted with farmers and directors on the ongoing reforms in the tea industry.
The KSh 59.2 million grant is expected to facilitate improvements at the factory, particularly in modernizing its operations and strengthening processing capacity. The investment is also aimed at creating a stronger foundation for value addition and improved tea quality, key areas considered essential in increasing the returns that farmers derive from their produce.
The government’s intervention comes as part of broader efforts to strengthen the tea value chain and ensure that farmers benefit more from the crop. Modern and efficient tea factories are expected to improve processing standards while enabling producers to respond better to changing market demands.
In addition to the financial support, Motigo Tea Factory received 10,000 tea seedlings from the Tea Research Institute (TRI). The seedlings are expected to contribute to the rejuvenation of tea farms and promote sustainable production among farmers supplying the factory.
The distribution of seedlings is particularly important in supporting farmers to maintain productive tea bushes and sustain production over the long term. Through improved planting materials and better farming practices, farmers can strengthen the productivity of their farms while contributing to a reliable supply of quality green leaf to factories.
During the engagement, farmers were also urged to maintain high standards throughout the tea production process. Principal Secretary Dr. Kipronoh Ronoh cautioned against practices that compromise the integrity of the tea value chain, particularly tea hawking and the falsification or tampering of weighing scales.
Such practices, he noted, can undermine farmers by interfering with transparent transactions and weakening confidence in the systems used to measure and market tea. Maintaining accurate weighing systems and following established procedures is therefore critical to protecting farmers’ interests and ensuring fairness across the value chain.
The government has continued to emphasize the importance of improving tea quality as Kenya seeks to remain competitive in both domestic and international markets. For farmers, producing quality tea and delivering it through reliable channels remains central to achieving better returns.
The engagement at Motigo also provided an opportunity for government officials and industry leaders to listen to farmers and factory directors as reforms in the tea sector continue. Collaboration between farmers, factories, research institutions and government agencies remains essential in addressing challenges affecting the industry and identifying opportunities for growth.
The KSh 59.2 million investment, together with the provision of 10,000 tea seedlings, therefore represents a significant boost to Motigo Tea Factory and its farmers. The interventions are expected to strengthen factory operations, support farm rejuvenation, improve tea quality and create opportunities for greater value addition.
The government has reaffirmed that continued investment in tea processing, sustainable production and value addition will remain important in efforts to build a stronger tea industry. For farmers, the ultimate goal is to ensure that improvements made along the value chain translate into better quality, stronger markets and increased returns from tea production.
By: Samuel Mwangi
