By Ongaga Ongaga
The Green Thinking Action Party (GTAP) has sounded the alarm over the plight of Kenya’s tea farmers.
The party now wants the national government to act swiftly to restore confidence in the sector and protect millions of livelihoods.
In a statement, GTAP described tea as “not just a crop, but a national livelihood system, a foreign exchange pillar, and a stabiliser of rural economies.”
The party warned that continued neglect of the sector would have devastating consequences.
“When tea is shaken, households shake, county economies shake, and national confidence in governance is affected,” the statement read.
Kenya’s tea industry has faced turbulence in recent years, most notably in 2023 when Iran, one of Kenya’s biggest buyers, banned imports following a controversial consignment linked to government officials.
GTAP noted that ongoing talks between Nairobi and Tehran offered “a window of hope,” but stressed that the government must treat the moment with urgency, discipline, and integrity.
The party outlined a five-point action plan, calling for immediate reforms.
Within 30 days, GTAP wants the government to publish and enforce a national tea payment timeline to protect farmers from delayed payments and fraud.
It also demanded the creation of a Tea Sector Transparency Dashboard to publicly track factory deductions, exporter licensing, and enforcement actions.
“Farmers must not continue paying the price for policy delays, weak oversight, market opacity, regulatory failure and the activities of cartels and unethical actors,” GTAP declared.
“The cost of inaction is now greater than the cost of reform.”
Other proposals include a strict export integrity programme to ensure all consignments are traceable and certified, a public integrity register of licensed exporters with zero tolerance for misconduct, and the appointment of a Tea Market Recovery Envoy within 14 days to rebuild buyer confidence.
GTAP pledged to hold institutions accountable, promising to track and publish progress updates.
“Kenya will not regain confidence through statements alone. Confidence will return only through systems, enforcement, transparency, accountability and measurable delivery,” the party said.
In a direct message to farmers, GTAP offered solidarity: “We hear you. We respect you. We stand with you. Your work is national service and must be honoured through fair systems, predictable payments, transparent deductions, and protected markets.”