Tea farmers to get low bonus, from Sh8 a kg

From left- Kenya Tea Development Agency chairman Peter Kanyago, chairman of finance and strategy committee Jeffither Nyaga and managing director Lerionka Tiampati. Tea farmers will earn as low as eight shilling per kilo annual bonus, despite missing on half year pay, marking one of the darkest years in the sector’s history. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP  

In Summary

• Majority of farmers in Bomet and Kericho will be paid between Sh12 and Sh14.25 with one factory, Momul, announcing that it will pay at the rate of Sh15.85, the lowest in recent years.

By ZEDDY SAMBU
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Tea farmers will earn as low as eight shilling per kilo annual bonus, despite missing on half year pay, marking one of the darkest years in the sector’s history.

The more than 560,000 farmers who sell their tea through the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) will earn the lowest bonus in four years.

The growers, who were paid a record Sh69 billion last year season, will receive nearly 100 per cent less pay this year, according to rates seen by the Nation.

The data by the industry regulator, the tea directorate (formerly Tea Board of Kenya) show that factories in Western Kenya will receive between Sh8.50 and Sh16 per kilogramme of tea while those in Central region will get between Sh16.75 and Sh26 per kilogramme.

Kisii’s Eberege and Ogembo factories emerged as the worst hit, with only Sh8.50 per kilogramme of leaf delivered.
They are followed by Mudete, Chebut and Kapsara tea factories.

Farmers in Nandi, Kakamega and Trans Nzoia’s will earn Sh10.10 and Sh11 when the payments are disbursed later in October. Their counterparts in Kisii’s Kiamokama, Kebirigo, Sanganyi and Rianyamuamu will be paid between Sh11 and Sh11.30.

Only two factories in the greater Kisii region — Nyansiongo and Tombe — will receive Sh15 and Sh15.90, the data shows.

MAJORITY OF FARMERS

Majority of farmers in Bomet and Kericho will be paid between Sh12 and Sh14.25 with one factory, Momul, announcing that it will pay at the rate of Sh15.85, the lowest in recent years.

Of those factories that have announced their pay rates, farmers are set to earn between Sh19 and Sh30 per kilogramme.

Meru’s Imenti has announced the highest pay rate of Sh26 per kilo.

Others that have so far declared this year’s payments are Kiegoi (Sh19) and Kionyo (Sh21).

Kiambu’s Kagwe and Kinoro will pay Sh23 and Sh16.75, respectively, while Michimikuru in Meru will offer Sh17.75.

Farmers affiliated to KTDA’s Githambo, Kiru and Kanyenyaini in the greater Murang’a County said they had been paid Sh19 per kilogramme.

While farmers in areas around Mt Kenya region earlier earned between Sh3 and Sh5 per kilogramme, counterparts west of the Rift Valley earned nothing during the April/ May payments.

Last year, the tea growing regions of Kirinyaga/ Embu paid out an average of Sh38 to the cluster of factories there, Kiambu (Sh35.40), Meru (Sh35.41), Murang’a (Sh34), Kisii/ Nyamira (Sh27.32) and Kericho/Bomet (Sh27) and Nandi/ Kakamega( Sh23).